


Trial of Light and Shadow

by DarkSuperSonic14



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Ancient Egypt, M/M, Time Travel, Yaoi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-21
Updated: 2020-09-07
Packaged: 2020-12-27 09:04:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 23,668
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21116219
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DarkSuperSonic14/pseuds/DarkSuperSonic14
Summary: The last thing Yugi Muto expected when he went on an Archaeological dig with his Grandfather was to end up in Ancient Egypt. He also didn't expect the mysterious Pharaoh Atem to be expecting him. Can Yugi survive in a time he clearly doesn't belong in? And can he manage to get past Atem's ideas of him and get him to see him for who he is? To make matters worse, an uprising is in the works and soon the ultimate evil will descend upon the land. Can Yugi and Atem survive betrayals and the trial of light and shadows? Will Yugi make it back home to his Grandpa?





	1. Enter the Trial

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry, I know I suck at summaries. I got a lot of ideas from Fushigi Yugi and other time travel/world jumping animes. Enjoy and please comment on suggestions or ideas I can throw in. :D

Yugi Muto, a seasoned Egyptologist and archaeologist of five years now, stepped onto the warm sands of Cairo, Egypt, with his grandfather Solomon Muto, a fellow archaeologist and Egyptologist. They were heading to their third dig site over the last five years, anxious for what discoveries they would make regarding Ancient Egypt. To them, it wasn’t about the money, or even the priceless artefacts they would find, it was about the adventure, the thrill of the unknown, discovering something new that would help contribute to the pages of history. They never knew what they would find, what traps they would set off, what ancient figure of history forgotten in the shadows of time they would discover. 

“Yugi, keen to get to the dig site? Or should we head to the shared house and deposit our stuff?” Solomon asked, earning his grandson’s attention. Yugi debated the possibilities to himself. On the one hand, he was anxious to head to the site, but on the other hand, his luggage was quite heavy. 

“Let’s head to the shared house first Grandpa, I wanna change into more appropriate clothing anyway” Yugi answered. Solomon lightly chuckled to himself, having told Yugi that he shouldn’t wear such heavy clothing as they were heading to the desert, but nooo, Yugi didn’t want to. Yugi frowned at Solomon, knowing that’s why he was laughing, before beginning to head the familiar path to the shared house they would be staying in for the next few months again. Every time they went to a new dig site, they always stayed in this shared house. It was affordable, in good condition and secure. 

After depositing their belongings to their rooms, Yugi and Solomon began the trip to the dig site, having rented an off road all wheel drive vehicle for the duration of their stay. Driving over the bumps of the sand, they eventually saw the pyramids begin to rise into view. Yugi had a good feeling about these tombs, he couldn’t explain it properly, he just had a giddy feeling in his stomach all day. Finally arriving at their destination, they exited the vehicle and approached the ancient tomb, still untouched. Nothing beat this excitement, the thrill of the unknown and what they would discover inside. Walking to the stone door, Yugi placed his hands upon the warm rock, padding his way around for any hidden switches or traps. Solomon began to do so on the nearby wall. The feel of the familiar stone was comforting to Yugi. He honestly felt more at home in Egypt than he ever did in his homeland of Japan. He wasn’t sure why, it was like Egypt was always calling out to him, singing for him to come. Maybe it was because his grandfather was always telling stories of his adventures and discoveries ever since he was just a boy. 

Hours later, inside the ancient tomb and bypassing a lot of traps along the way, the Mutos found themselves before a stone tablet. A lot of it had been worn away, corroded by time and chipping off, but some was still tangible. Solomon stepped closer to read the ancient scripts as Yugi pulled out a notepad and pen, scribbling the words his grandfather spoke.

“Light and shadow. Two people, harmonious together, yet unbalanced apart, the light and shadow of each other. Whole together, yet lost without” Solomon stated, raising a brow and scratching his beard in thought. Yugi had scribbled the words down on the paper, looking up at Solomon in confusion.

“Grandpa? Are you sure you read that right? It didn’t really make a lot of sense…” Yugi asked, watching Solomon’s expression. They didn’t need words to answer that question, the look in Solomon’s eyes said it all. The writing was too chipped away and unintelligible to make out more. Yugi looked back down at the notepad, reading and rereading the words to himself. 

“If only we could figure out what it was trying to say…” Solomon mumbled to himself. 

“There might be more tablets further into the tomb?” Yugi suggested, pointing with the pen further into the darkness. Solomon nodded, pointing his torch into the darkness and beginning to venture forth. Yugi placed his notepad and pen back into his bag, grabbing his torch as well and beginning to follow after his grandfather before a figure caught his attention in the corner of his eye. He let out a soft gasp, whirling to face the figure, shining his torch in that direction, only to be met with open space. He blinked a few times, certain he had seen someone, but was now beginning to doubt himself. Solomon stopped, having realised his grandson wasn’t following him and was now staring intently at an empty corner.

“Yugi? Is everything okay?” he asked. Yugi jumped back to reality, turning to face Solomon and laughing sheepishly.

“Sorry Grandpa, I thought I saw something… Must’ve just been the light catching the dust in the air” Yugi explained, hurrying after his grandfather. But no matter how he explained it, he was certain he’d seen something or someone. But they were the only two in this ancient, unexplored tomb, who else could be here? 

Deeper into the tomb, they discovered more tablets. Some talking about a legendary pharaoh, some talking about the pharaoh’s companion, and one talking about an evil monster that tried to destroy the world. Yugi couldn’t believe what he was hearing his grandfather say. Monsters didn’t exist, neither did ghosts, curses or spells. Yugi didn’t even believe in God. He only believed in what he saw with his own eyes, what could be explained with science, he was a firm realist, or so he kept trying to tell himself. But the more he heard his grandfather speak about this monster that tried to destroy all of humanity over 5,000 years ago, the more he felt himself believing that this monster had truly been real. 

“Aibou…” a soft male voice whispered from behind Yugi, making the younger man gasp loudly, turning quickly to flash the torch behind him, again met with empty space. He blinked in shock, sweat trailing down his spine, and not just from the stuffiness inside the tomb. Solomon looked at his grandson with wide eyes.

“Yugi? Are you alright?” he asked, seeing Yugi look back at him.

“You can’t tell me you didn’t hear that just now, can you?!” Yugi exclaimed, feeling very on edge. Solomon just looked confused.

“No? I didn’t hear anything, aside from you crapping yourself suddenly” he teased, earning a pout and glare from Yugi.

“Very funny Grandpa…” Yugi muttered. But if Solomon had been right and there had been no voice, then what was going on? Why had Yugi heard both a voice and seen a figure out the corner of his eye? Was he going insane? Could this be the fabled ‘Pharaoh’s curse’? No, there was no such thing as curses. 

“I’m getting worried about you Yugi… Are you sure you’re alright?” Solomon asked, concern filling his voice. Yugi tried to laugh it off, rubbing the hair of his insanely spiky head.

“I’m fine Grandpa, really. Maybe I’m just a little heat stroked?” Yugi reassured him, grabbing his canister of water and having a few sips. Hopefully some H2O would help. Solomon didn’t seem entirely convinced, but they’d gotten too far in to turn back now. And he knew Yugi would never allow them to leave without seeing every inch of the tomb. Continuing down the hallway of tablets, the ground suddenly began to shake violently. Yugi and Solomon both gasped loudly, attempting to keep their balance. Had they somehow set off a trap? Yugi’s eyes widened in horror as he saw a statue’s eyes light up a deep blood red, its mouth opening among the shaking, revealing an arrow pointed towards Solomon.

“Grandpa!” Yugi exclaimed, charging at Solomon and knocking him out the way as the arrow fired, narrowly missing the two of them. The shaking continued, this time the sound of loud cracks were heard. Yugi glanced down to the stone floors, seeing them begin to chip and fall away, collapsing into a deep chasm. They needed to get out, now!

“Yugi!” Solomon yelled loudly, attempting to pull himself up to his feet, despite his bones aching in protest. Yugi disregarded his own safety, first making sure his grandfather was on his feet and stable before standing himself. The floor was cracking open even more now, and their exit path was getting smaller and smaller as the cracked floor spread to cut them off.

“Move Grandpa!!” Yugi encouraged Solomon, pushing the older man first as they attempted to run despite the ground continuing to shake violently. Steps weren’t easy as the violent tremors threatened to knock them off balance. The holes in the floor collapsed further and further, cutting off their path just before they could reach the exit. 

“We’ll never make it Yugi!” Solomon exclaimed, feeling dread rise in his gut. Was this really how the Muto line would end? With he and his grandson trapped and killed in this ancient tomb? 

“Grandpa! You need to jump over! I’ll give you a push!” Yugi urged him, seeing Solomon look at him in disbelief.

“But Yugi! What about you!?” he countered, seeing his grandson smile gently at him in reassurance.

“I’ll find another way! Now go!” he yelled, pushing Solomon as the older man ran to the edge of the collapsed floor, making the leap of faith across as Yugi’s hands gave him the final push he needed to get over the chasm. Feet hitting the ground sharply, Solomon staggered before collapsing to his knees on the other side of the chasm. He turned to see his grandson jump three steps back as the floor collapsed more, cutting them completely off from each other. Yugi looked up at Solomon, fear and relief on his face. 

“Yugi!” Solomon called out to him, watching in horror as the rest of the floor cracked and gave way, Yugi beginning to fall into the dark chasm below them. 

“Grandpa!!” Yugi exclaimed as he felt air rushing around him, his clothes and hair whipping around madly as he fell into the darkness, falling for what felt like an eternity. When would he hit the ground? When would he meet his end? This chasm surely had to have an end, right? Maybe he would fall to the centre of the earth and melt in its molten core? No, surely that wasn’t possible. Just as Yugi was convinced he was probably already dead and this was just what the afterlife was like, constantly reliving the moments just before your death, a bright light began to shine below him. He blinked in surprise, having not expected to see any light in this chasm, before being blinded as he fell into the light, slowly losing consciousness.


	2. Where am I?

_He blinked in surprise, having not expected to see any light in this chasm, before being blinded as he fell into the light, slowly losing consciousness._

……

Slowly regaining consciousness, Yugi realised he was still alive. He most certainly wasn’t dead, it hurt too much. Looking around, he realised he was laying on a cold stone floor, the walls made of stone and a gate closing him into the room. He suddenly realised he was in a cell! Gasping, he attempted to get up and move to explore the cell, before realising his hands were bound tightly behind his back. Had he been found by tomb robbers and they’d taken him for shits and giggles? Panic filled his veins as he remembered his grandfather at the edge of the chasm, having watched Yugi fall into the chasm. He had to let his grandfather know he was alright! Well, maybe not alright, but alive at least. Struggling against the rope bindings, he hoped to at least cause some friction and loosen them, but it was no use. Whoever had tied these bindings had done a good job, Yugi had no hope of undoing them. Footsteps echoed through the halls, getting louder as the owner walked closer. This was it, Yugi was about to face his captor. He couldn’t show fear, he couldn’t, no matter how much he was pissing himself. Managing to look up from the ground, laying on his side, he saw leather shoes first, slowly trailing his eyes up to see a cloth skirt, no, correct that, dress, a flat chest, golden bands on the arms and neck, and chin length brown hair under a white cloth hat. The man looked similar to an ancient Egyptian priest from the carvings Yugi had studied. In his hands was a golden rod with a familiar Anubis eye on the orb at the top. 

“You’re finally awake stranger. You have some nerve to suddenly use magic to appear in the Pharaoh’s throne room” the man stated, his piercing blue eyes glaring daggers into Yugi. Yugi raised a brow in confusion, flinching under the man’s gaze. 

“What? Magic? What’re you talking about? And why am I tied up and locked in a cell? Wait, did you say Pharaoh!?” Yugi exclaimed, the man’s words finally sinking in. The man’s gaze sharpened, eyes narrowing more if possible.

“You suddenly appeared, unconscious albeit, in the middle of the Pharaoh’s throne room while all his court were discussing important matters! I ask you, what else could you have used if not magic!?” he declared, his voice growing louder and angrier with every word. Yugi’s eyes were wide in shock. Was he hallucinating? Egypt hadn’t had any Pharaohs in a long time, so how was he suddenly in what looked like Ancient Egypt? Maybe this was a trick from the tomb robbers and they were gassing him with a hallucinogenic drug and playing into this delusion? Doubtful, but it made more sense than being transported to Ancient Egypt. 

“Look, I don’t know what you’re talking about! I was exploring a dig site with my Grandfather when I fell into a chasm! Then I woke up here!” Yugi interjected, watching the anger on the man grow. 

“So, you feign ignorance to your magic!? Very well, you will be trialled by the Pharaoh!” the man stated, opening the cell and stepping to Yugi, grabbing the bindings and forcing Yugi to his feet, not gently either. Yugi struggled to remain upright, feeling the man push him out the cell. Yugi’s eyes met those of at least half a dozen soldiers, all dressed just similarly to the man holding his bindings, armed with spears. Gulping in fear, Yugi felt himself retreat back a step, only to be pushed further forward by the irritated man. Yugi looked around, half in awe at the structure of the building they were in, and half in sheer terror at what was awaiting him. 

Arriving in a long hallway, Yugi was pushed to his knees before a solid gold throne. Members of what Yugi could assume was the royal court stood around the throne, glaring daggers down at him as if he had just insulted all their mothers at once. Yugi glanced up, eyes trailing up slowly to meet a man sitting upon the throne. Yugi’s eyes widened in shock, the man was adorned with golden jewellery, a golden crown upon his head, but what amazed Yugi wasn’t the amount of gold upon this man. It was the fact that this man looked like a sun kissed version of himself! There were some minor differences, Yugi’s hair spiked out from black to purple instead of black to red as this man’s did, and Yugi’s eyes were purple instead of blood red as this man’s was. But aside from that and the fact the man’s face was a little more mature looking instead of the slight babyface Yugi had, they could almost pass for twins. 

“My Pharaoh, this man claims ignorance to the magic he used to appear before us! What will you have us do with him?” the man that had dragged him there declared. The Pharaoh raised a hand as if to calm the angry one behind Yugi. 

“Calm yourself Seto. This man has no done anything to harm anyone yet. I would like to hear this from him. Release his bindings” the Pharaoh stated. Seto hesitated, looking uncertain.

“But my Pharaoh, we do not know if he can be trusted!” Seto exclaimed. The Pharaoh merely gave a small smirk.

“I think he appears harmless enough. Release his bindings, we have plenty of guards around if he decides to run amuck” the Pharaoh reassured his court member. Seto reluctantly undid the bindings on Yugi’s wrists, allowing Yugi free movement as he immediately began to rub his sore wrists, massaging them. 

“T-Thank you… Um… My name is Yugi, Yugi Muto. I’m an archaeologist with my Grandfather. We were exploring a dig site when we must’ve set off a hidden trap or something. I managed to make sure my grandfather was safe across the chasm when I fell in. That was the last thing I remembered before I woke up in the cell…” Yugi explained, seeing the confused faces on every member of the court. Even the Pharaoh himself had raised a brow in confusion.

“What is an… archaeologist…?” the female of the court asked, stepping forward to look at Yugi. Yugi focused his attention on her, studying her figure and face. She had black hair and blue eyes and was very pretty. She wore a necklace with the eye of Anubis symbol that Seto’s rod had on it. Yugi could only hope she was as nice as she was pretty. 

“We explore places like tombs or ruins and try to figure out what life was like there hundreds if not thousands of years ago. We discover artefacts and important facts that then get recorded in our history books. It lets us figure out the past when there’s little to no records” Yugi explained, seeing the woman look at her fellow court members. 

“We’ve never heard of this ‘archaeologist’ you speak of…” a commanding elderly man stated, one of his eyes being a golden eye of Anubis symbol. Yugi blinked in surprise, wondering if he could even see out of that piece of gold stuck in his eye. 

“Master Aknadin… Look at his clothes… They’re so foreign looking…” the woman stated, looking towards the elderly man. Aknadin looked back, frowning in thought.

“I was thinking the same thing too Isis… I wonder if he is perhaps a spy from our neighbours… this could be a declaration of war…” Aknadin calculated. Yugi gasped in shock.

“War? Wait, don’t go starting a war with anybody over me! I come from a completely different country across the sea! Japan is no where near Egypt! It’s not any of your neighbours, and besides, if this really is Ancient Egypt, then I’m not even from this time!” Yugi declared, earning confusion from the court again.

“Ancient… Egypt?” a man with long brown hair asked, wearing a golden ringed necklace with the eye of Anubis on it. Now that he noticed it, all the members of this court wore something with the eye of Anubis on it, even the Pharaoh. The Pharaoh wore a golden upside-down pyramid necklace with the eye of Anubis on it. The only one not wearing an eye of Anubis was a bald-headed man who instead wore a golden ankh around his neck. 

“We will find out Mahad. Tell me, Yugi was it? What do you mean you are ‘not from this time’?” the Pharaoh asked, eyes narrowing in thought. Yugi gulped, feeling like he had dug himself into a hole as he looked up and into the blood red eyes of the Pharaoh. He was telling the truth, so Yugi had nothing to hide, hoping his eyes would tell the Pharaoh he was not lying.

“I come from the year 2020. If this is indeed Ancient Egypt, then I’ve somehow travelled 5,000 years into the past” Yugi explained. Gasps echoed from all through the court, even the Pharaoh’s eyes had widened in shock slightly. 

“My Pharaoh, surely you do not believe this drabble!?” Seto exclaimed, glaring angrily down at Yugi who flinched away in fright. 

“I’m telling the truth! Do you honestly think someone as pale as me and dressed like me would be from this time!?” Yugi protested back, seeing Seto hesitate, unable to counter him. 

“I believe him” the Pharaoh stated, seeing his entire court look at him in disbelief, even Yugi couldn’t believe someone had believed his story. If he had been listening to someone tell him that, he doubt he would’ve believed them either. 

“Pharaoh… if he IS from the future, what should we do?” a man longer black hair and carrying a scale set marked with the eye of Anubis asked. The Pharaoh sighed to himself, rubbing his brow with a hand. 

“I don’t know Karim… Shada, just to make sure, use your key to check Yugi’s heart. I want to be sure there are no traces of evil within his soul. I apologise Yugi, I must have one of my high priests check your soul for evil. I promise you, it will not hurt” the Pharaoh apologised, giving Yugi an apologetic smile. Yugi was just confused, watching the bald man named Shada approach, holding the golden ankh in his hands. Yugi waited in silence, blinking with large purple eyes as he watched Shada before gasping softly as the ankh began to glow. In a few seconds, the glowing stopped as Shada pulled back in confusion. 

“There is no evil within his heart, but I have seen images of places I cannot explain. I have never seen such things, such buildings and strange things moving…” Shada explained, turning to look back at the Pharaoh.

“I believe him when he states he is not of this time My Pharaoh, the images I have seen cannot be done in this time” Shada concluded, giving Yugi a glimmer of hope. Maybe if both the Pharaoh and Shada believed him, all the court would believe him. The Pharaoh smiled, reassured by Shada’s words as he pushed himself off the throne, rising to his feet and beginning to walk down the few stairs, past the members of his court and towards Yugi. Yugi could only watch the grace the Pharaoh carried himself with, it was mesmerising. The Pharaoh stopped just before him, offering out a hand. 

“Stand my friend” he reassured Yugi, giving the younger male the courage to take the Pharaoh’s hand, the PHARAOH’S hand, and be pulled back up to his feet. The Pharaoh gave a small chuckle as he observed the slightly smaller male.

“We could pass for siblings with our looks” he chuckled happily, before giving Yugi a soft smile.

“I apologise with being so rough with you earlier. You can never be too careful with strangers after all. And you did make quite the entrance, suddenly appearing in a blaze of light. But I believe you are the one my father spoke of” the Pharaoh stated, earning a confused look from Yugi.

“Um… care to explain?” Yugi asked, his voice not much more than a weak whisper. 

“My father told me a tale when I was younger, a story he repeated quite often, and told me to pass to my children if it were not to happen during my time. He told me that one day, a stranger from another time will appear. With it, they will bring about a wave of change and save us all from a great evil that will threaten our land. He never told me what this evil would be, and I used to think it was just a story, but having seen you appear so suddenly and the clothes you wear and the way you speak, I have no choice but to believe the story is true” the Pharaoh explained. Yugi suddenly remembered the tablets in the tomb his grandfather and he had been exploring. One had spoken about a great evil that tried to destroy the land, was it referring to the same evil the Pharaoh was telling him about now?

“I… I think I know a little… See, before I fell into that chasm, there was a tablet in the tomb that Grandpa and I were exploring. It spoke of a great evil that tried to destroy the land over 5,000 years ago and how the legendary Pharaoh stopped it. It also spoke of the Pharaoh’s companion. The tablets were quite old and damaged though, so there wasn’t a lot of information Grandpa and I could make from it” Yugi added, seeing a hint of disappointed in the blood red eyes of the Pharaoh. 

“I see… That’s a shame… Until then, you are a welcome guest in my palace. My high priests, you are to treat Yugi with the upmost respect. Make sure his every need is met!” the Pharaoh ordered, much to Seto and Aknadin’s disgust. The other priests accepted the order happily, welcoming Yugi to the palace and telling him that if he needed anything, he had to only ask. Yugi felt quite relieved that he had a place to stay, but he couldn’t help but wonder if he would ever be able to return to his time, see his Grandfather and family again. 

“I seem to have missed all the fun!” called out a familiar voice, Yugi’s eyes widening in shock as an elderly man stepped into the hall, letting out a hearty chuckle. Yugi felt tears forming in the corner of his eyes as he took a step toward him.

“Grandpa!?” he exclaimed, seeing everyone look at him in confusion. Even the elderly man looked confused.

“Whose Grandpa?” he asked, scratching his beard. He looked identical to Solomon, Yugi couldn’t believe it. Yugi caught himself, seeing everyone giving him weird looks as he wiped his eyes quickly with his sleeve, smiling apologetically at the man.

“S-Sorry, you just look identical to my grandfather” Yugi apologised, seeing the elderly man smile softly.

“I see. You miss him, don’t you boy?” he asked, earning a nod from Yugi. 

“My name is Shimon, I’m the Pharaoh’s royal advisor. May I know your name?” Shimon introduced himself.

“I’m Yugi, Yugi Muto” Yugi replied, earning a welcoming chuckle from Shimon. It wasn’t the same as having his grandfather with him, but Shimon was quite similar, so hopefully the older man presence would help Yugi not feel so homesick. 

“Oh, I just realised you know everyone’s name but mine. I’m sorry Yugi, I forgot to introduce myself. I am Pharaoh Atem” Atem stated, smiling kindly at Yugi. Yugi was relieved to know he had the Pharaoh on his side, but no doubt he was still in a lot of danger. But maybe, just maybe, things didn’t look so bad at the moment.


	3. The Pharaoh did WHAT?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter makes me laugh so much! I love Atem's character, XD

_“Oh, I just realised you know everyone’s name but mine. I’m sorry Yugi, I forgot to introduce myself. I am Pharaoh Atem” Atem stated, smiling kindly at Yugi. Yugi was relieved to know he had the Pharaoh on his side, but no doubt he was still in a lot of danger. But maybe, just maybe, things didn’t look so bad at the moment._

…..

Life in the palace wasn’t all that bad. Yugi had slowly grown accustomed to some of the strange traditions the Ancient Egyptians did, but he still felt uneasy being in such a large building. He had gotten to know the high priests of Pharaoh Atem’s court more, particularly Mahad, Isis and Shimon. Karim and Shada kept more to themselves, and Aknadin and Seto wanted nothing to do with him. Yugi knew that Seto didn’t believe his story at all and still suspected him to be a spy from somewhere, and as for Aknadin, he just could tell that the man hated him. As for Atem, Yugi had barely had much of a chance to speak to him since his introduction, such is the life of the Pharaoh. The man was always busy, and when he wasn’t working, he was sleeping. 

Yugi wandered the royal courtyard, seeing the small ornamental pool and hibiscus and lilies decorating the edges. The palace really was a place of beauty; the architecture, the colours, the way of life, it truly was gorgeous. As he wandered, he saw servants and workers rushing left and right, attending to their duties. Yugi had no tasks, he was free to do as he pleased. To be honest, he felt like a freeloader. He had a comfy bed to sleep in, shelter, food, water and clothes, and he didn’t have to raise a finger in return. Surely that wasn’t fair. Sitting at the pool, Yugi watched the water trickle and ripple around his hand. The sensation was cool to his fingers, a strong reminder that no, he was not dreaming. He truly was in Ancient Egypt and he was not going home anytime soon. During the week he had been there, Yugi had not seen an inch of the town. All he had seen was the palace as no one was free to escort him into town. He would have gone himself, but being a foreigner in a foreign time, he knew it was much too dangerous to wander alone. 

“Excuse me? Are you… Yugi?” asked a female voice. Yugi turned, seeing a girl with shoulder length brown hair and brown eyes looking down at him curiously. Yugi nodded shyly, looking back to the water before looking back at the girl. She smiled brightly, moving to sit beside him.

“I’m Tea, I come from one of the neighbouring countries, so I know how it feels to be a foreigner” she introduced herself, still beaming a smile at him. Her hands were calloused, no doubt she was a worker in the palace. 

“Hi, am I safe to assume you’re a worker in the palace?” Yugi asked, seeing her nod.

“That’s right. I’m in charge of cleaning the quarters. So, I clean your room too” she replied. Yugi smiled, relieved to have a decent conversation with someone where it didn’t feel like they were obligated to speak to him. Tea seemed genuinely nice, as if she wanted to get to know him better, make him feel less lonely. Their conversation was simple, Tea spoke and Yugi listened. It wasn’t that she was a chatterbox, and it didn’t feel awkward in the slightest, but Yugi found himself enjoying word she spoke, comfortable just to listen. She spoke of what life was like working in the palace, that she earned her bedroom and food by working there, and how she had had no where to go before she was taken in as a servant. Life really did seem very difficult here, but at least she was off the streets, where it would have been dangerous for a young lady such as herself to be. As Yugi continued to listen to her, he heard snickers and whispers coming from behind them. Turning, he saw three female workers gossiping to each other nearby, watching them. Tea seemed to notice them as well, smiling sadly at Yugi.

“Sorry about them. I tend to be the topic of a lot of gossip due to my pale complexion. I guess that’s why I felt compelled to talk to you. We both have pale skin tones, and that makes us different” Tea apologised, looking down at the water. Yugi watched her worriedly before frowning in thought.

“I can talk to the Pharaoh about it if you want?” he offered, seeing her look up at him in surprise, before she shook her head with a soft smile. She quickly jumped up to her feet, smiling kindly down at him.

“No, thank you though. This is my responsibility to try and fix. After all, you can’t just order someone to change their mind, or their heart. All I can do, is continue to try my best. And if it turns out to be for nothing, then at least I tried and can have no regrets. If I just have someone order them to be nice to me, then they’ll just despise me even more. No, this is something I need to do” Tea replied, speaking words of wisdom that seemed to resonate with Yugi. 

“You know… I used to be picked on a lot when I was younger… I didn’t have any friends. But… I think if I’d met you earlier, and heard what you just said, I would have found the strength to try and fix it. But instead I was a coward, I just ran… And because I continued to run, nothing changed…” Yugi stated, looking down at his reflection in the water. Tea looked down at him in surprise and concern.

“Yugi…” she whispered sadly. Before she had a chance to continue, Yugi turned to look up at her with a smile.

“Thank you, I feel like I’ve learnt something valuable from you” he stated, pushing himself up onto his feet as well, turning to look directly at Tea before continuing, “I hope you can consider me one of your friends here in the palace.” The smile on Tea’s face only grew before she nodded happily.

“Of course we’re friends silly! And if you ever need anything, you know I’m here for you” she replied, before excusing herself to continue attending to her duties. Yugi watched her leave, grateful for at least one friend that didn’t feel forced. He didn’t have long to be with his thoughts before another worker approached him.

“Master Yugi? The Pharaoh sends word. He would like to see you in his chambers when you are free” the servant said, bowing before heading off. Yugi blinked in surprise, before realising he had no clue where the Pharaoh’s chambers were, and the servant was likely heading there. He quickly took off after the servant, desperate to not get lost. After a few minutes, Yugi was led to a large door when the servant stopped.

“These are the Pharaoh’s chambers. Please excuse me now” the servant stated, beginning to walk away. Yugi stared up at the door, wondering how he should go about this. Should he knock? Was that even polite here? And why did Atem want to see him in his chambers of all places? Gulping, he brought his hand to the door and lightly tapped it a few times with his knuckles. He heard some shuffling from inside before a familiar voice told him to come in. Pushing the door open slightly, Yugi peeked his head inside to see Atem sitting on a chair and looking at the door. Atem gave him a soft smile, ushering him inside. After securing the door behind him, Yugi stepped further into the room and closer to Atem. 

“You wanted to see me?” Yugi asked, feeling nervous for an odd reason. Atem gave a soft chuckle, waving his hand and motioning for Yugi to take a seat.

“No need to be nervous my young friend. I don’t bite” Atem joked, “I merely wish to hear more of your time. I apologise for not being able to see you at all this week, I have just been swarmed in my duties…” Yugi watched Atem, noticing the dark circles under his eyes. Atem was surely tired, but he had been determined to free up time in his schedule for him. 

“But you’re tired… You should get some sleep instead of talking to me Your Highness” Yugi countered, seeing Atem laugh more. 

“Trust me, I’m fine. I’m a little tired, yes, but being the Pharaoh comes with its struggles. I have been worse than this before, and I turned out alright in the end. So, don’t worry about me young one” Atem reassured him, smiling gently. In the end, Yugi couldn’t find anything else to object to, so he proceeded to tell Atem stories of his time. He talked about the buildings, the people, the vehicles, the cultures, the list was endless. And Atem didn’t seem to tire of any of it. Never once did he look bored, never once did he look like he would fall asleep, he just listened intently, as if he were trying to memorise every word that came out of Yugi’s mouth. It was a little flattering honestly, Yugi had never talked this much in his life, mainly because no one except his grandfather would ever listen, but now someone was here who was hanging off of every word he spoke. Atem’s eyes seemed to sparkle with childlike wonder as Yugi described the differences between now and the future. It was as if the man had become a child again, listening to a bedtime story. Eventually, Yugi had run out of things to discuss. It was then that he had noticed just how dark the room had gotten. Glancing to the window, he saw no light from outside, only the glittering of the stars. Had it really been that long?

Yugi rose to his feet, walking to the window and watching the stars in wonder. It had not long been midday when he had first started speaking to Atem, and now it was really late, maybe even early morning. He hadn’t noticed the time slip by them at all. He heard footsteps behind him, sensing Atem’s presence behind him. 

“Tell me, are the stars as beautiful in the future as they are now?” he asked softly. Yugi’s cheeks began to feel warmer. That almost sounded like a romantic question, but surely not, right? 

“No, not in the future. The sky isn’t as nice as it is now, so it’s harder to see the stars in the future” Yugi answered sadly. Atem looked down at him from the stars, watching the young man. Yugi could feel Atem’s gaze boring through the back of his head. 

“That’s a shame…” Atem whispered before looking back up at the stars. Yugi gave a soft sigh, releasing the breath he didn’t even realise he was holding. He turned slightly to face Atem, seeing the older man look back at him. His features softened into a gentle smile. 

“Yugi, can I tell you a story?” he asked. Yugi nodded, grateful for the break as his own throat was sore from having talked for so long. Atem began to walk back into the room, sitting on the edge of his bed and patting the side, motioning for Yugi to sit beside him. Yugi didn’t really know how to feel, sitting beside the Pharaoh on his bed, but he couldn’t really refuse, could he? Sitting down, he felt the bed shift as Atem faced him.

“Do you remember that story I mentioned when we first met? The one my father told me when I was a boy?” he asked, seeing Yugi nod in response.

“Yeah, the one about someone from another time arriving” 

“Well, I loved that story as a child. Even growing up as a young adult, I found myself thinking of that person from another time. I wondered if they would be male or female, how old they would be, what they would be like. It kept me going through the hard times of my life, when my father passed, when I was crowned as the next Pharaoh, when there were tensions with some of our neighbouring countries. My image of that person and being able to meet them is what gave me the strength to continue” Atem explained. 

“Oh, well, I hope I lived up to your expectations…” Yugi stated, now feeling like he probably disappointed Atem. Atem merely smiled, shook his head before looking up into Yugi’s eyes.

“Yugi, you are exactly what I imagined. I would not trade a thing to change you. You are a beautiful person, both inside and out. I can see it.”

Yugi’s whole face must’ve been as red as a tomato by that point. He was a beautiful person? Him? No one had ever complimented him like this before, no one. Atem found the situation rather amusing, giving a soft chuckle before his expression hardened, looking down at his knees.

“Yugi… I know you want to return back to your time, back to your grandfather… But… I hope in time you will reconsider and choose to stay here…” Atem stated, standing up from the bed and walking over to the open window again as he continued, “And rule by my side as King.”

Yugi sat there in stunned silence for a few minutes before it suddenly hit him. He gasped, eyes and mouth open wide and his face burning even redder. Wait a minute… Had the Pharaoh of Egypt, the Pharaoh of ANCIENT Egypt, Pharaoh Atem, just PROPOSED to him?! 

“W-What…? B-But I…! Y-You…! I-I mean…!” Yugi stuttered, his tongue tripping on itself as he tried to focus and speak correctly.

“B-But I’m a guy! D-Don’t you need to marry a woman to continue the line!?” Yugi finally spluttered out. Atem turned to look at him, giving a soft chuckle.

“That’s what the harem is for” he responded, giving Yugi a small smirk. Yugi couldn’t believe what he’d just heard.

“H-Harem!?” he squeaked, his cheeks feeling somehow even redder. This couldn’t be possible, right? He suddenly rose to his feet looking Atem directly in the eyes.

“You’ve only known me for a few hours Your Majesty… I’m sorry, but I can’t accept your proposal” Yugi declined, his brain having finally decided to work correctly. Atem blinked in surprise.

“May I ask why?” Atem asked. There wasn’t any hurt or anger in his voice, it was still as soft and gentle as it normally was. Yugi looked down at the ground sadly before looking back up at Atem.

“Because, you’ve fallen in love with your own idea of me. You said it yourself, you imagined me and your belief of what I would be like is what kept you going. You’ve fallen in love with that image of me, and now you’re projecting that image onto me. I’m not the same as who you imagined. Just as I don’t know you that well either. I had my own beliefs of what you would be like when I was at the dig sites with Grandpa, but those were just ideas. I had no way to confirm if those were true. But now, now you’re here in front of me, just as I am for you… We have a chance to actually get to know each other, learn what the other is really like. And I would like to do just that, get to know the real you, instead of my idea of you. And I hope you will want to do the same” Yugi explained. Atem had been silent the whole time, quietly listening to his words. He gave a soft snort, sort of a chuckle, before looking up at Yugi with a small smirk.

“You’re the first person to ever turn me down. I must admit, I’m impressed. And you spoke so eloquently. Yugi, that is exactly what I wanted to hear from you. Truly you surpass my expectations all the time and continue to surprise me. But I find that is one of the things I love about you” Atem stated. Yugi’s heart pounded at the mention of the word ‘love’. How could Atem say something like that so easily? But if he had heard him correctly, that meant that Atem was willing to try and get to know Yugi more before he tried to ask a question like that again. 

“I will get to know you better Yugi, and I will do my best to get you to fall in love with me. When that day happens, I will ask you again” Atem announced. So, he hadn’t given up, but was determined to win Yugi over. Yugi couldn’t believe what was going on. Back in his time, he’d been the boy that no one liked, the one everyone picked on. All through elementary, middle and high school he’d been at the mercy of bullies, the laughing stock of the classroom. He’d had no friends, no one to be with. He’d never even experienced love. But suddenly he goes to the past, the ancient past at that, and suddenly the Pharaoh of Egypt proposes to him after just a week of knowing him. Stuff like that just didn’t happen in real life. Yugi couldn’t even respond, so he quickly excused himself and rushed out of Atem’s chambers. His heart was still pounding in his chest as he wandered the halls, attempting to find his own room. 

….

Aknadin sat in the study, scouring books, papers and scrolls, attempting to find anything he could regarding this legend Pharaoh Atem had said his father had told him. So far, he had found nothing. He growled under his breath. The Pharaoh was just a spoilt brat, riding on the coattails his father had left behind. Aknadin really hated that boy, even if he knew he had no legitimate reason to. Though no one else knew, not even the Pharaoh, Aknadin had been the younger brother to the former Pharaoh, forced to hide his identity as Prince so he would be kept safe, and then having to disown his own wife and son for his brother. And now, his son had returned back to his life. Pharaoh Atem had never worked for his position, it had just been given to him on his father’s death. Meanwhile Seto had risen to the rankings of High Priest. He had overcome every challenge he faced and made a name for himself, despite having been born from royalty and then cast aside to nothing. His son, HIS Seto, deserved to be Pharaoh more than his nephew Atem. Just the thought made Aknadin furious. While the country was still in tensions with neighbouring countries, Atem was off chasing fairy tales of people being sent from different times. The very notion made him sick. Then, an idea hit him. This boy, Yugi, would be the ticket Aknadin needed to secure the throne for his son. Pharaoh Atem’s days were numbered, and soon a new Pharaoh would take the throne. The rule of Pharaoh Seto would begin shortly.


	4. The Beginnings of Betrayal

_“I will get to know you better Yugi, and I will do my best to get you to fall in love with me. When that day happens, I will ask you again” Atem announced._

_Pharaoh Atem’s days were numbered, and soon a new Pharaoh would take the throne. The rule of Pharaoh Seto would begin shortly._

…..

It was a new dawn, a new day. It had officially been less than 24 hours since Pharaoh Atem had asked Yugi to marry him, but Yugi still wasn’t entirely sure if that had been a test or not. What he did know was that he couldn’t stand being in the palace for another day without going outside. His shock was beginning to fade and his archaeologist spirit was resurfacing, making him anxious to go out and enjoy the town, see how accurate the historians had been. He was determined to be the number 1 Egyptologist upon his return back to his time. But in order to do that, he needed to go out and study. But all the High Priests were busy, and Yugi couldn’t bring himself to face Atem yet. The guy had just declared he would make Yugi fall in love with him, how could he just go up and say ‘Hey, how about escorting me into town for a bit? But not as a date or anything like that.’ 

No, he had to come up with a new plan. He had made a new friend in the palace, maybe Tea would be interested in showing him the town? But she was just as disliked as he was, with their pale features and being foreigners, it was dangerous for both of them to go out alone. Being together just made them even more of a target. Still, it couldn’t hurt to ask, right? Exiting his room, he spotted a female servant walking past and called her over.

“Yes? How can I assist you Master Yugi?” she asked courteously. 

“Can you ask Tea to meet me here? I’d like to talk to her if it’s okay” Yugi asked, seeing the servant, maybe maid was more accurate, bow before hurrying off. Yugi waited a few minutes before Tea came jogging up to him, puffing. 

“Y-You wanted… to see me… Yugi?” she asked between puffs. Yugi couldn’t help but chuckle, he hadn’t expected her to come running. He waited for her to recover first before he led her into his room so they wouldn’t be overheard.

“I was wondering if you might be able to do a favour for me? I want to leave the palace and explore the town, but I fear I have no one to escort me. I know it’s rather dangerous for you to leave too, but you’re one of the only friends I’ve made here and thought I should ask” Yugi asked her, seeing her blink in surprise. A huge smile exploded onto her face as she practically bounced on her heels in excitement.

“Of course I’ll escort you into town! I actually have some friends who also work in the palace, and they’re native to this country so we should be okay if we go with them! Oh, I can’t wait to introduce you to Jounouchi and Honda! They’re super nice! And also, pretty strong too, so they can protect us!” Tea babbled, her eyes practically sparkling at the idea of an outing with friends. Yugi couldn’t help but smile himself, her excitement was infectious. 

“Well, I can’t wait to meet them. Shall we go see if they’re free?” he offered, seeing Tea nod so hard he was certain her head might fall off, before she practically tripped over her own feet, scrambling for the door and rushing out. She backtracked back to the door, jogging in the spot.

“I’ll go get them and come back here to introduce you! Stay here and I’ll be right back!” she called out, running off again. Yugi heard her footsteps receding before eventual silence fell over his room. He was glad Tea at least had a few friends in the palace before he arrived, so she hadn’t been completely alone. He felt a soft smile form on his face from the thought. If they were in similar shoes and she had a few friends, it must’ve meant her tactic had worked. Better than Yugi’s at least. But what else was running going to do aside from getting him nowhere? Heavy footsteps began pounding to his door and he saw Tea poke her head in, a grin on her face.

“I’m back! Yugi, this is Jounouchi and Honda. Jounouchi, Honda, this is Yugi, the special guest of the Pharaoh. I met Yugi yesterday and we hit it off, so you two be nice, okay?” Tea introduced before turning to the boys and practically scolding them like a mother would her sons. Yugi tried to hide the small chuckle that rose from his throat, covering his mouth with his hand. Clearing his throat, he stepped towards the two males. One had long shaggy blonde hair and brown eyes, the other had brown hair that rose to a spike at the front and hazel brown eyes. Offering a hand, Yugi beamed a smile.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Yugi Muto” Yugi stated, seeing the two boys grin mischievously. 

“Nice to meet you too Yugi, I’m Jounouchi and this is Honda. Tea tells me you want to go into town? No problem, Honda and I will keep the two of you safe!” Jounouchi proclaimed proudly, grinning so widely that Yugi was certain if he attempted to smile like that his face would hurt for a week. Honda lightly hit his chest, standing tall.

“You’ll both need to wear cloaks to protect your skin, but after we’ve sorted that out, we can all head off!” Honda stated, leading the group down the hallway to a spare room full of clothes and cloths. Honda searched through the piles, pulling out two cream coloured cloaks and tossed them to Tea. Tea caught them nimbly before putting the cloak around Yugi’s shoulders, fastening it, and then pulling the hood over his wild hair. She then did the same for herself.

“We’re both pale. If we go out there without these, we’ll fry to a crisp” she explained with a soft smile. Yugi watched her interact with the boys, finding their friendship to feel quite natural. The two males acted like brothers, and Tea acted like the mother for the two, keeping them in line. He was grateful they had been willing to include him in their little social circle. 

“Alright! Let’s get going!” Jounouchi declared loudly, making Yugi jump back from him a little. Was he always so loud and rambunctious? Yugi hoped he would get used to Jounouchi’s antics before the day was over. As they walked to the main gates, Yugi spotted a familiar figure walking nearby. Aknadin spotted them, walking over hurriedly.

“Master Yugi, are you leaving the palace?” he asked with a strange sense of respect Yugi had never heard from the man. Usually Aknadin spoke to him like he was a pest, and this kind of creeped him out. Trying his best to act normal, he slapped on his best friendly smile, despite how crooked it felt.

“Y-Yeah, I’m going out with some friends. They’re gonna show me the town” he replied, seeing a sudden flash of realisation in Aknadin’s eye. The man smiled almost kindly, but it looked forced.

“I see, I must insist you take at least a palace guard with you. Wait here and I will send one over to you. You can explore the town freely, but I must insist one follows you for your protection. You are Pharaoh Atem’s guest after all, your safety is our top priority. Simply act as if the guard is not there” Aknadin urged, ignoring the pissed off looks of Jounouchi and Honda. They were about to speak out but Tea stopped them in a hushed whisper. Yugi could only nod in response, watching Aknadin walk off to find a guard.

“Why do we need a guard following us around all day? Honda and I can protect you two just fine…” Jounouchi whined under his breath, earning a similar response from Honda. Tea merely glanced from the corner of her eye at them, unamused.

“And if someone comes at us with a weapon? Then what? You two are unarmed, a guard has weapons. I’d feel a little safer with a guard behind us” she reasoned, quickly shutting up the two.

….

Aknadin approached a guard, relieving him of his duty.

“You, I want you to escort Yugi Muto into town with three servants from the palace. Once you’re far enough away from the palace, dispose of Yugi Muto. If you must dispose of the other three, so be it” Aknadin ordered, seeing the look of confusion on the guard’s face.

“But, Master Aknadin! We’ve been ordered by Pharaoh Atem to keep Master Yugi safe! Why would…!?” the guard asked before quickly shutting up at the glare Aknadin gave him.

“Pharaoh’s orders. It seems our little friend did something to upset our King, and now he has revoked those orders and wants Yugi gotten rid of in a subtle way. You wouldn’t disobey the Pharaoh, would you?” Aknadin countered, seeing the man back away in fear. He swallowed shakily, before shaking his head.

“No Master Aknadin. If the Pharaoh has ordered such a thing, I will not disobey him” the man replied, bowing quickly to Aknadin before jogging to the gate to find Yugi Muto and the three servants. If his Pharaoh ordered this, then he would serve his Pharaoh faithfully. 

….

Finding Yugi, the guard approached and bowed, remaining silent before the group as they exited the palace and walked into town. Yugi’s eyes widened and sparkled in excitement as he watched the town. It was alive in culture. There were stalls and salespeople everywhere in the streets. Families walked the dirt roads, children laughing happily and chasing each other. Tea watched Yugi’s reactions, smiling as she saw the pure childlike excitement in his eyes. 

“This is better than anything I could have imagined! The town is so alive!” Yugi exclaimed, not even caring that his voice had squeaked a little in his excitement. Jounouchi turned to face him, raising a fist in determination.

“Just you wait Yugi! I’m gonna show you all the best places to get food here! You’re gonna be so full by the end of this you’ll burst!” Jounouchi declared proudly, hearing Yugi chuckle nervously. Honda decided to chime in as well.

“I’m gonna show you where all the best stuff is! There’s lots of stalls in these streets that sell great little nick knacks! You’ll love it!” Honda declared as well, bumping his fist against Jounouchi’s in agreement. Tea giggled beside him.

“This is going to be so much fun, right Yugi?” she asked, smiling gently at him. Yugi could only nod, his heart was in his throat and he didn’t trust himself to speak. He had never felt so accepted before, like these people genuinely wanted to know him. If only these people had existed in his time, back when he’d been a student at school. Maybe then he wouldn’t have felt so alone all his life. While thinking to himself, he hadn’t realised he’d fallen behind from the gang, and his eyes had begun to cry a little. 

“Yugi? You coming?” Tea called out a few metres ahead. Yugi snapped out of his thoughts, rubbing his eyes with the back of his hand before grinning at the trio.

“You bet I am!” he yelled back, running to catch up to them. 

It was everything Yugi had hoped it would be. Jounouchi had kept his word and shown him all the best places to get food. He had sampled so many cuisines that Yugi’s stomach felt like it was going to burst. And Honda had been true to his word as well. He had shown Yugi stalls all over town selling trinkets, jewellery, home appliances such as spoons and cooking wares, etc. The day had been filled with showing, talking and laughing. This was honestly one of the best days of Yugi’s life. He couldn’t recall a day he had laughed so much in his life. He hoped this day would never end. Sadly, like all things in this world, the day did in fact come to an end. 

“We should probably head back to the palace. It’s starting to get dark” Tea said sadly, looking up at the sky which had changed into a beautiful mixture of reds, pinks and purples as the sun set in the horizon. Yugi looked up at the sky as well, sad that the day had come to an end.

“Yeah, we probably should…” he muttered sadly. Jounouchi watched his expression before suddenly hooking Yugi up in a friendly choke hold.

“Hey, what’re you so down about Yugi? We can always come back tomorrow!” Jounouchi declared, chuckling to himself. Yugi felt his face erupt into a big smile as he realised they wanted to continue to hang out with him. 

“Jounouchi’s right! We can come back anytime!” Honda agreed, grinning happily. Yugi smiled up at the trio, or as best as he could in Jounouchi’s choke hold, nodding.

“Yeah, you guys are the best!” Yugi announced, earning happy giggles and chuckles from the three of them. Suddenly the guard cleared his throat, announcing his presence. Yugi jumped, he’d honestly forgotten the guard had been there for most of the day. They all turned to the guard who looked up ahead at the nearby mountains on the edge of town.

“If I may, before you return back to the palace, there is one more place I insist you visit. It’s a common location that foreigners like to visit. That mountain up there leads to the path to the Valley of the Kings. People love to go there to see the pathway to where our previous Pharaohs rest” the guard suggested. Yugi blinked in surprise, his archaeologist spirit working its way up through him again. He beamed brightly, eyes sparkling with excitement. 

“Can we go see the pathway? Please? I promise we won’t be too long!” Yugi pleaded with the trio. Tea didn’t look too sure, but she reasoned that there wouldn’t be too much harm in one more stop before heading back home. And so, the five of them began the walk out the city and up to the surrounding mountain to see the pathway to the Valley of the Kings. By the time they had reached the mountain top, the sun had well and truly set, casting the mountain in darkness. Yugi gasped in awe when he saw the pathway, lit by glowing torches that led to the Valley of the Kings. 

“Who lights these torches every night?” Yugi asked the guard, seeing no expression on his face.

“No one knows. Most say that the ghosts of the former Pharaohs keep the torches lit to keep evil spirits away” the guard explained. Jounouchi gulped loudly, trembling at the idea of ghosts. Yugi walked to the edge of the mountain, looking down further at the pathway as it extended along the desert. 

“I wonder if Pharaoh Atem’s father is one of the ghosts that keep the path lit…?” he wondered to himself, not hearing the guard approach him. Tea, Jounouchi and Honda were talking amongst themselves, trying to figure out how to convince Yugi to head back to the palace before it got so late that the streets would be dangerous. Yugi, however, was lost in his own world, thinking of so many theories and possibilities regarding the pathway and the Valley of the Kings. His thoughts were suddenly cut short when he heard the guard behind him.

“End of the line” the guard stated, his eyes cold and almost ruthless as he suddenly pushed Yugi’s back, sending the young man forward and off the edge of the mountain. Yugi’s eyes widened in horror as a scream escaped his lips, seeing the horrified looks of Tea, Jounouchi and Honda as they watched Yugi fall from the mountain. 

“YUGI!!” Jounouchi yelled, rushing to the edge of the mountain, pushing the guard aside and looking down the edge. He couldn’t see his friend anymore; it was too dark to see anything. Honda grabbed the guard, angry tears in his eyes.

“Why the hell did you do that!?” Honda yelled aggressively, hearing Tea’s sobs as she fell to her knees, covering her face with her hands and wailing loudly. The guard remained emotionless, pushing Honda aside and pointing his spear between the two of them. 

“Pharaoh’s orders! Dispose of Yugi when outside of the town” the guard declared, readying himself to fight the three of them if they tried anything. Jounouchi turned to glare at the guard, tears streaming down his face.

“You creep! You planned all this! That’s why you suggested we go to the pathway to the Valley of the Kings! You knew Yugi was curious and wouldn’t be able to resist!” Jounouchi yelled, voice trembling in his grief and anger. 

“W-We promised… w-we would p-protect him…” Tea whimpered to herself, still sobbing into her hands. 

“We’re not leaving until we find him! I don’t care if we have to search all night! Or all-day tomorrow! We’re going to find him and bring him back, alive, to the palace and demand an answer from Pharaoh Atem!” Honda declared. The guard shrugged his shoulders.

“Do what you want. My job is done” the guard stated, turning and beginning the trek back down the mountain and to the palace. He had no idea the consequences that awaited him for following such an order.


	5. The Search Begins

_“End of the line” the guard stated, his eyes cold and almost ruthless as he suddenly pushed Yugi’s back, sending the young man forward and off the edge of the mountain. Yugi’s eyes widened in horror as a scream escaped his lips, seeing the horrified looks of Tea, Jounouchi and Honda as they watched Yugi fall from the mountain. _

….

The palace was in a buzz, servants scattering everywhere as they tried to locate Yugi. Pharaoh Atem had learnt that the young man had gone missing and had immediately ordered everyone to stop what they were doing to find him. That had been at midday, and now it was night with still no sign of the man. Atem sat at the throne, his body wracked with panic and worry. Where was he? He had promised Yugi that no harm would come to him while he was here, and now he was missing! Was he hurt? Had he been taken? What if…! …What if he was dead…? No! Atem shook his head to rid himself of the thought. What good was the power of being the Pharaoh if he could not even use it to keep one man safe? Yugi was precious to him. Atem could listen to Yugi speak of the future for hours, watch the man’s violet eyes sparkle in excitement and wonder as he looked around the palace. He loved the fact that Yugi continuously surprised him. Yugi had been the first person to turn him down. This interested Atem, he had never had someone speak to him the way Yugi did. He still spoke to him with respect of course, but he spoke like Atem was more his equal, rather than the Pharaoh of Egypt. Yugi saw him for more than his crown, he wanted to see the real person on the throne. 

“My Pharaoh, please accept my apologies. We have just discovered that three servants in the palace left with Master Yugi this morning. They were going into town I believe. A guard was seen accompanying them” Mahad apologised, kneeling before the throne. Atem looked up at him from his knees, blinking in surprise. 

“Town? Surely they would be back by now though…” Atem suggested. Mahad hung his head.

“I am not sure. If they went out to explore the markets, they should have returned by now. The markets are long since closed” Mahad answered, standing when Atem motioned him to. A commotion suddenly happened at the palace entrance, the doors swinging open and several guards had another in bindings, dragging him before the throne. Aknadin rushed up behind them, bowing before the throne.

“My Pharaoh, we have found the guard that escorted Master Yugi out into town. He returned back to the palace, alone!” Aknadin explained, puffing slightly from overexertion. Atem’s eyes widened in shock. 

“You! You were charged with escorting Yugi outside the palace! Where is he!?” Atem demanded, glaring daggers at the guard. The guard cowered, trembling in fright before Atem’s gaze.

“He… We went to the pathway of the Valley of the Kings… I pushed him off the edge of the mountain just like-…!” the guard stated before he was suddenly cut up by a sword slashing his throat deeply. The guard gasped, sputtering as blood sprayed from his neck onto the floor. Gurgles came from the guard’s throat before his eyes rolled up and his body collapsed onto the floor. Atem watched in horror, turning to the wielder of the sword, Aknadin.

“Aknadin! Why did you kill him?!” Atem demanded, seeing Aknadin lower the sword and bow.

“Forgive me my Pharaoh, I simply lost myself in rage at his admittance to treason! But there are bigger things to worry about! He just said he pushed Master Yugi off the mountain at the pathway to the Valley of the Kings! Master Yugi is surely hurt or perhaps even deceased from such a fall!” Aknadin apologised, seeing Atem’s eyes widen in horror at this realisation. He shot from the throne, rushing down the few steps and running past the body of the guard.

“Mahad! Ready my horse! I need several people to come with me immediately to the pathway to the Valley of the Kings!” Atem ordered, turning back to see Mahad and several guards bow before scattering quickly. Mahad rushed after Atem, running past him to go to the stables and fetch their horses. There he met with Isis and Karim, the three of them returning to Atem with their horses. Atem mounted his white horse, turning back to his men and women.

“Right, we’re heading to the pathway to the Valley of the Kings! We move!” Atem yelled, lightly kicking the sides of the horse and galloping out the palace and into the town. The few soldiers, Mahad, Karim and Isis followed closely behind him. 

Aknadin watched from the palace doors with a small smirk. His secret was still safe, and now that the Pharaoh had left the palace, he was free to begin his plan. He had already sent word to a certain acquaintance of his to inform him that the Pharaoh was leaving the palace and where he would be heading, so now all Aknadin needed him to do was fulfil his end of the bargain. 

….

Yugi couldn’t move. His whole body hurt from head to toe. He briefly remembered being at the top of the mountain and looking down towards the Valley of the Kings, then he remembered a hand pushing his back, and the looks of horror on his friends faces. After that, all he remembered was pain. That guard, the one Aknadin had sent with them, he had betrayed them. Had that been Aknadin’s order? No, surely not. Aknadin was loyal to the Pharaoh, regardless of how he felt towards Yugi. Yugi swallowed dryly, his breath coming out in a shallow gasp. That alone sent his body through a spasm of pain, his ribs protesting at the movement. He coughed weakly a few times, closing his eyes to try and hold back the tears that threatened to spill from his eyes. Were his limbs broken? Surely something had to be broken from that fall. He was honestly amazed he had even survived such a fall. He honestly thought for a moment that maybe that fall would transport him back to his time, but that hadn’t been the case. There had been no blast of light like the last time. 

Yugi squinted his eyes open, attempting to look at his surroundings, but he honestly couldn’t tell the difference between his eyes being open and closed, the darkness was almost the same. Would no one find him until morning? Would he be stuck here for so long? Did Atem even know he was missing? If he did, was he worried? Thinking of the Pharaoh filled Yugi with a small sense of hope. He had no doubt that the Pharaoh was doing everything in his power to find him. Atem wouldn’t give up, and neither would he! Breathing in short, ragged breaths, Yugi attempted to turn his head slightly, looking up at the night sky. He had been lucky enough to fall on his back instead of his stomach, so he wasn’t stuck eating sand. Were his friends looking for him? Had that guard hurt or killed them as well? Yugi’s stomach clenched in terror at the thought. He couldn’t stand the thought of them being killed because of him. No, they were fine. They had to be! And they would be coming down the mountain looking for him. Yugi knew he would see them coming up any minute now. He had to tell himself that so he would believe it. But what if they didn’t…? Panic made Yugi’s breath quicken, and Yugi could tell he was close to hyperventilating. No, it would just make it harder to breathe. He had to calm down. Someone would find him soon. They had to. 

As if by some miracle, he heard the sounds of hurried footsteps. Was it his friends?

“Yugi! You there? Yell if you can hear us!” Jounouchi called out. Yugi felt a pained smile form on his face. It was his friends! He coughed weakly, attempting to breathe in enough to yell out. But his ribs hurt so badly. Could he manage? He’d have to try.

“J-Jounouchi…!” he coughed out, hearing the footsteps stop suddenly. Had they heard him?

“I think I heard him! This way!” Honda yelled, rushing closer to where Yugi lay. Yugi coughed a few times, his lungs having protested to him yelling. 

“I hear him!” Tea called out, all three of them arriving and carrying a torch that seemed to be lit as if by a spirit. Yugi squinted at the sudden light, opening his eyes slowly to look up at them. All three of them were looking down at him in concern and relief, their faces all tear stained. Tea fell to her knees before him, gently caressing his face and brushing the hair out his eyes.

“Thank the gods you’re alive! Yugi, we were so scared!” she whimpered, fresh tears falling down her cheeks and onto the sand underneath them. Honda bent down, gently checking Yugi’s limbs before attempting to lift him slightly. Jounouchi watched them, holding the torch. 

“Y-You have… o-one of the… t-torches…?” Yugi asked, wondering if it was allowed for people to just take the torches. Jounouchi looked at the strange torch in his hands.

“I dunno, but when we were about to walk down and look for you, Tea noticed this torch was acting funny. We think it wanted to be taken for us to find you” Jounouchi answered. Maybe the story of the torches being lit up by the ghosts of the former Pharaohs was true? The only ghost Yugi could think of that would want him alive would be the ghost of Pharaoh Atem’s father. Did that mean that Atem’s father had helped save him? Yugi didn’t have time to think more on the subject as a wave of pain shot through him, making his body tense as Honda lifted him into his arms. 

“Sorry Yugi, it’s the only way we can get you back to the palace” Honda apologised, seeing the smaller male try and relax. Tea rose to her feet, looking at Yugi worriedly.

“Is that a good idea? You heard that guard, he said that this was the Pharaoh’s orders! What if Pharaoh Atem really ordered the guard to try and kill Yugi?!” Tea warned, seeing the look of shock on Yugi’s face. Pharaoh Atem had ordered the guard to do that? Was this because of his rejection? No, surely Atem wasn’t so petty that he would kill someone who turned him down, right? No, Yugi had no way to be sure. 

“You honestly believe that crap!? I don’t believe Pharaoh Atem would do such a thing! I know the guy; I’ve seen his work! He’s kind and just, and he cares about his people! He wouldn’t order a guard to kill someone, not in a cowardly way like this!” Jounouchi argued, earning unsure nods from Tea and Honda. 

“So, back to the palace?” Honda asked, unsure what the plan was. Before anyone could respond, a pounding of thuds and horse neighs filled the air. The trio turned to see a bunch of torches coming closer, revealing horses and people upon those horses. 

“Who’s coming here at this time of night?” Jounouchi wondered, squinting his eyes to try and see better. He suddenly gasped.

“It’s Pharaoh Atem!” he yelled in disbelief. Yugi gasped silently, wincing from the movement. Atem had come all this way? But what for? To check on Yugi? Or to check that his order had been completed? He felt Honda’s grip on him tighten as both Tea and Jounouchi stood in front of them protectively, being wary of the Pharaoh and his soldiers. The horses stopped and Atem looked down at the trio.

“You three, you left the castle with Yugi earlier today. Where is he? Is he alright?” Atem asked, dismounting from his horse quickly. 

“My Pharaoh, can I ask you one question first?” Tea asked, steeling herself for punishment from standing up to the Pharaoh. Atem blinked in surprise, stopping in place. 

“You may ask me whatever you wish Tea” he replied softly, hearing Mahad, Karim and Isis dismount from their horses and follow after him. Tea blinked in surprise, having not expected Atem to know her name.

“Did you come here to help Yugi? Or to make sure your order was completed?” Tea asked, frowning again. Atem nearly felt all the wind leave him as if someone had punched him in the stomach. He stared at Tea in horror, looking to Jounouchi, only seeing the same cautious look on his face, the same for Honda. 

“You… You think I…?” Atem stuttered, raising a brow in confusion. 

“That guard, the one that hurt Yugi, he said YOU ordered it!” Jounouchi declared, pointing at Atem. Atem’s eyes must’ve resembled saucers with how wide they had become. He would never declare such an order!

“Tea… Jounouchi… Honda… I would NEVER order such a thing. Please, I need to know… Is Yugi okay?” Atem asked softly, taking a cautious step forward. The trio looked at each other, trying to figure out if he was being honest, before they nodded to each other. Jounouchi and Tea stepped aside, revealing Yugi in Honda’s arms. Atem gasped in horror, rushing forward to him, gently putting a hand on Yugi’s stomach, the other on his arm.

“Yugi! Oh Gods…” Atem whispered, his shoulders trembling. The young man was covered in bruises and dirt, and his brows were knit with pain, his body shaking in spasms of agony. Yugi’s eyes opened slightly, revealing the violet irises that Atem loved, staring up at him in relief.

“A-Atem… Y-You’re… h-here…” Yugi muttered, his voice no more than a hoarse whisper. Yugi was losing consciousness, fast. Atem turned to Isis.

“Isis! Call forth your spirit monster! Yugi needs healing immediately!” Atem ordered. Isis nodded, closing her eyes and placing a hand over her heart. She whispered a prayer as her body began to glow, a female looking monster emerging from her, flying into the air and circling them before landing beside Atem and Honda. The monster smiled gently, holding her hands over Yugi and beginning to glow softly. The glowing light flowed down Yugi’s body, encasing him in warmth. Yugi felt a warm fuzziness flowing through him, opening his eyes weakly to look up, seeing the monster. It looked similar to the pictures Yugi had seen on the tablets in the tomb with his grandfather. 

“S-Spiria…?” he whispered, recognising that name on the tablet. Atem blinked in surprise. How had Yugi known the name of Isis’ monster? His surprise was short lived as relief flooded him, a gentle smile forming on his face. The bruises receded from Yugi’s body, seeing the young male breathing easier. He stepped forward, gently taking Yugi from Honda’s arms and holding him in his own. He smiled almost lovingly down at Yugi, pulling him closer to his chest and cradling him, resting his forehead on Yugi’s. Honda, Tea and Jounouchi blinked in surprise at the gentle, almost loving way that Atem was acting. They didn’t realise that Yugi and Atem’s relationship was like that. Spiria stepped away from Yugi, the glow fading before she disappeared, returning back to Isis. Yugi felt a sense of loss as the glow faded from his body, but it was replaced by Atem’s warmth, opening his eyes again to see Atem’s face incredibly close, his forehead resting on his own. 

“My Pharaoh, Spiria did what she could, but Master Yugi still need to rest from his injuries. I suggest we return back to the palace as quickly as we can” Karim suggested, stepping closer to Atem. Atem pulled away from Yugi, looking at Karim and nodding. 

“Thank you, Karim. Yugi? Do you think you’re okay to walk?” Atem asked, looking down at Yugi. Yugi nodded silently, feeling Atem gently lower him to the ground and then help pull him up to his feet. His body protested, but no where near as bad as it had before. He could actually stand and walk on his own now, despite the pain in his back and legs. 

“Yugi, you let me know if it gets too much, okay? I’ll carry you on my back!” Jounouchi urged him, stepping closer to Yugi with a grin. Yugi looked up at him, eyes wide.

“You… You’d do that for me Jounouchi?” Yugi asked. Jounouchi chuckled, rubbing his nose with his hand as he grinned brightly.

“Course I would Yugi! We’re friends after all!” Jounouchi replied, seeing small tears fall down Yugi’s cheeks. He wasn’t sad though, cause the smile on Yugi’s face told Jounouchi everything he needed to see. Yugi was filled with so much joy it was overflowing through his eyes. Finally, finally he had friends. Friends who would never betray him and would always be there for him. Atem watched the four of them interacting, a gentle smile on his face. He was happy Yugi was feeling more at home here and had made friends. His biggest worry had been that the young man would be lonely, but it seemed that wasn’t the case anymore. 

“My Pharaoh?” Mahad asked, catching Atem’s attention as he turned, seeing Mahad point into the distance. The guards looked like they were getting ready for an enemy that was approaching. It was then that he noticed a bunch of people walking towards them, clouded figures behind them in the background. They stopped when they got close enough for the torches to illuminate them, revealing men in cloaks. 

“What business do you have here?” Mahad asked, preparing himself to fight if necessary. One man stepped closer, pulling back his cloak to reveal a bald head. The man smirked.

“Sorry, but I’m afraid you won’t be returning back to the palace. I have orders from my boss to take you all out!” he declared. Mahad glared, placing his hand over his chest and summoning his monster, a purple coloured male magician. Karim did the same, summoning a giant Ox monster in armour with a giant axe. 

“Illusion Magician and Battle Ox?” Yugi asked, staring at the monster in surprise as Isis summoned Spiria as well. 

“You really think you all have a hope against our soldiers and our monsters?” Isis asked, stepping closer to Mahad and Karim. The man chuckled to himself.

“Who said it was just us?” he taunted, the clouded figures appearing behind them to reveal monsters. Lots and lots of monsters. Way too many for them all to fight. Yugi froze in horror, hearing Tea scream and Jounouchi and Honda swear amongst themselves. Atem growled, stepping in front of Yugi and the trio protectively. If need be, he would summon his monster. He would not allow any harm to befall Yugi or his subjects.


	6. The Massacre

_“Who said it was just us?” he taunted, the clouded figures appearing behind them to reveal monsters. Lots and lots of monsters. Way too many for them all to fight. Yugi froze in horror, hearing Tea scream and Jounouchi and Honda swear amongst themselves. Atem growled, stepping in front of Yugi and the trio protectively. If need be, he would summon his monster. He would not allow any harm to befall Yugi or his subjects. _

….

Yugi had never seen so many monsters in one place, though to be honest, before today he had never seen any monsters period. But what he did know was that they stood no chance against so many. The monsters would easily take out the soldiers Atem had brought, and there were only three monsters on their side of the field. He was also unsure if Atem had any monsters of his own he could summon, but a part of Yugi also didn’t want him to do so. No doubt summoning a monster like that was dangerous. 

“My Pharaoh, what do we do?” Mahad asked, looking back at Atem. Atem glared dangerously at the men, no doubt bandits. 

“I’m giving you all a chance to surrender peacefully and your lives will be spared!” Atem declared, hearing the bandits laugh amongst themselves. The leader smirked at him.

“I really don’t think you’re in a position to be making demands or negotiations, Your Highness” he taunted, specifically exaggerating Atem’s title. Yugi growled quietly in anger. How dare they mock Atem, he was trying to solve this without violence or bloodshed. 

“Besides, we have our orders to eliminate you” he finished, laughing more to himself and his gang. 

“And who’s orders would those be?” Karim asked, attempting to extract answers. The bandit snorted to himself.

“Our boss of course, the Bandit Thief Bakura!” the leader replied. Yugi gasped, remembering that name from one of the tablets.

“Bakura?! That name was on the tablet my Grandpa told me about that described the great evil!” Yugi exclaimed, earning Atem’s surprise. 

“He’s linked to this great evil? I see, then no matter what, we cannot allow this Bakura to succeed! Mahad! Isis! Karim!” Atem yelled, earning acknowledgements from the three before their monsters rushed the bandits to attack. Tea, Jounouchi and Honda were all behind Yugi, watching in suspense and horror. Yugi felt a hand gently clasp his as it trembled. He glanced down to see Tea was holding his hand as her entire arm shook in fear. Yugi smiled gently, giving her hand a reassuring squeeze. If this could alleviate her fears even slightly, then he didn’t mind. It was then that Yugi noticed Jounouchi was still holding the torch from the pathway to the Valley of the Kings. He glanced towards it, seeing it flicker as if it were trying to tell him something. Yugi watched the blue flames dance around, trying to recall what it was that he’d been told regarding the torches and their abilities. It was then that it struck him. He gasped loudly, rushing to Jounouchi and taking the torch from him. Atem, Tea, Jounouchi and Honda were all watching him in confusion. What could a simple torch do to aid their current situation? Yugi merely stared down at the flames, sensing what the ghost was trying to tell him. 

“It’s worth a shot…” Yugi mumbled to himself, gripping the torch tightly and rushing to one of the guards. 

“Hey! You’re an archer, right? Try lighting one of your arrows with this flame!” Yugi suggested. The guard looked at him quizzically, as did everyone else who was watching, but the guard did as he was told. Lighting the tip of his arrow with the blue flames, he gasped as the flames suddenly roared to life upon the arrow, as if blessing it. 

“Fire at one of the monsters!” Yugi urged. The guard saw no reason to argue, aiming and firing at one of the monsters. The arrow struck one of the monsters in the shoulder. A sickening scream was heard from one of the bandits as he gripped his own shoulder, like he had been the one struck. In the blink of an eye, the flames had grown, encompassing the monster and engulfing its body, the flames causing the bandit to scream and writhe in agony on the ground. Yugi watched in shock, he hadn’t expected the flames to do that. Everyone was shocked, even the other bandits, as they watched their friend writhe on the ground before he fell silent, the pain having killed him as his monster collapsed to the ground motionless. The guard that had fired the arrow looked back at Yugi in disbelief. 

“What did you do…?” he whispered. Yugi looked down at the torch in his hands.

“This torch is from the pathway. It’s lit by the ghost of the former Pharaohs. They ward off evil spirits, so I thought the same might apply to the monsters. Looks like my theory was correct” Yugi explained, turning to look at his friends and Atem. He had never seen such a look of amazement and pride on the man’s face, and it gave Yugi a light fluttering feeling in his stomach. 

“Men! Light your weapons with this flame! Now!” Atem ordered, seeing his men suddenly surround Yugi and getting their weapons lit with the blue flames. 

“Get that pipsqueak! Now!!” the bandit leader yelled, all the monsters suddenly rushing towards Yugi. 

“Yugi!!” Honda yelled, hearing Yugi yelp as he scrambled away from the group of soldiers and saw the man run back towards them, the torch now with the guards. 

“You’ll pay for what you did to my friend!” the leader yelled, his monster striking forward at lightning speed, grabbing Yugi and lifting him high into the air. 

“Yugi!!” Tea screamed, watching in horror. Jounouchi and Honda watched before glaring at the bandit leader. Atem was downright furious. 

“You better put him down right now… Or I swear by the Gods of Egypt, I will kill you myself in the most painful way possible!” Atem threatened, his expression, his voice, even his aura growing murderous and dark. 

Yugi felt like he couldn’t breathe. He was being held up tightly in the hand of the bandit leader’s monster. It felt like he was being crushed, which wasn’t too hard due to his already bruised ribs. He could hear a commotion around him on the ground, but the pain in his body was making it impossible to focus on the words. Suddenly the pain let up, and for a second Yugi thought that maybe he was passing to the next world, but he felt air rushing past his ears and it took a second to realise he was actually falling back to the ground. Great, not again…

He didn’t hit the ground though, he hit a body. Opening his eyes slowly, he found himself on the ground, strong arms wrapped around him, a person having broken his fall. He looked up, recognising the face of his saviour. Atem looked up at him with a slightly pained expression.

“Are you hurt Yugi?” he asked, sounding slightly winded. Yugi shook his head, getting lost in Atem’s blood red eyes. Atem gave a soft chuckle, still sounding out of breath.

“That’s good… Um, would you mind moving slightly? I can’t breathe…” Atem asked, snapping Yugi to reality as he suddenly gasped, jumping away from Atem as the man let out a gasp of relief. Atem coughed several times, pushing himself up into a sitting position, smiling at Yugi. Yugi’s face felt like it was on fire. He couldn’t believe he’d been caught by the Pharaoh and what made it even worse was that he’d just stared into Atem’s eyes like a damsel in distress that just got saved by her prince! Before Yugi had a chance to ask anything else, he heard a roar above him. Glancing up slowly, he gasped loudly, seeing a giant, long red dragon with two mouths in the sky.

“Slifer the sky dragon… One of the Egyptian Gods…!” Yugi whispered in awe, wondering how it had been summoned, before he suddenly realised that both the monster and the bandit that had been after him laid dead on the ground nearby. Atem must’ve somehow summoned Slifer! 

“A-Atem… D-Did you… summon Slifer?” Yugi asked, seeing Atem nod with a small smirk. He still looked a bit tired, but at least he no longer appeared to be in pain. 

“I don’t summon them much, as they take a lot of my strength, but I had to keep you safe Yugi” Atem explained, chuckling lightly as the small blush that dusted Yugi’s cheeks. The trio ran up to Yugi, Tea dropping to her knees and tackling Yugi in a hug, tears falling down her cheeks.

“Thank the Gods you’re alright Yugi! We were so worried!” she sobbed, clinging to Yugi tightly. Yugi brought a hand up to gently pat her back, attempting to soothe her. Jounouchi and Honda crouched around him, smiling in relief. 

“You gave us a real fright!” Jounouchi agreed, joining Yugi in rubbing Tea’s back softly. 

“Come on Tea, he’s okay. You need to let him go so we can get back to the palace. All the bandits are gone now” Honda ushered, attempting to pry Tea away from Yugi. She simply refused to let go. Yugi glanced up at the two, shaking his head.

“Sorry guys, it’s okay. I’ll walk back with Tea. She’s really scared, with everything that’s happened and all. I don’t mind” Yugi reassured them, feeling Tea slowly pull away, wiping her eyes with her hands. Yugi gave her a soft smile, standing and offering her a hand. Tea accepted, letting Yugi pull her to her feet. Atem watched the exchange, not feeling any jealousy, but a sense of pride. He loved how kind Yugi was, how selfless and warm he could be. He had to keep this light; this precious person, safe always. 

“My Pharaoh! Look!” Karim exclaimed, pointing towards the main city where the palace was located, smoke rising into the air and beginning to cover the clear sky in ash. Flames danced around some of the buildings. 

“What is going on!?” Atem yelled, rushing to his horse and mounting it and turning to Yugi, “Yugi! Get on the back of my horse! I know you wish to go with Tea, but neither of you know how to ride a horse. Jounouchi, go with Mahad! Honda, you go with Karim! Tea, you go with Isis! We need to get back to the palace immediately! Something is wrong… very wrong!”

Yugi looked at Tea, seeing her nod that she was okay, then rushing over to Isis. The boys followed their orders, so Yugi ran to Atem, giving him his hand as the Pharaoh lifted him up onto the back of the horse. With the flick of a wrist, Atem began the march back to the city.

\--

Aknadin had everything in place finally, the pieces of his plan were finally in motion. With the Pharaoh out of the castle, the first thing he did was set all the prisoners in the dungeons free. Having given them all access to weapons, they charged the palace, killing guards left and right as they caught them off guard. As he walked to the balcony of the second story, he looked out as the prisoners and criminals began to run amuck, slaughtering guards and innocent villagers. He smirked, enjoying the sounds of the screams as people breathed their last. Footsteps pounded nearby and Aknadin turned to face Seto, who was out of breath and covered in sweat and blood splatter. 

“Master Aknadin! All the criminals have escaped and are ravaging the city!” Seto declared, seeing Aknadin walk to him.

“I know, I’m the one who set them free” Aknadin explained, walking past Seto as he saw the look of horror on the young man’s face. Seto turned to look at him in disbelief.

“YOU set them free?! By the Gods, why would you do such a thing?! Do you not see all the people being killed!?” Seto asked in horror. Aknadin stopped walking, turning to glance back at Seto.

“You don’t understand Seto. We need to wipe the slate clean. The Pharaoh is off chasing fairy tales. Egypt needs a new ruler, a new king” Aknadin explained, turning to face Seto again.

“It needs you, my boy” Aknadin stated, seeing Seto’s eyes widen considerably. 

“You’re mad… Egypt already has a Pharaoh!” Seto declared angrily, glaring daggers at Aknadin.

“Seto, the time of Pharaoh Atem is drawing to a close. You aren’t aware of this, but I was the brother to the former Pharaoh. I had a son as well… His name is Seto” Aknadin explained, seeing all looks of anger disappear from Seto, only to be replaced by shock and horror. He could see Seto’s body trembling violently as he struggled to comprehend this new information. 

“You’re wrong! My father died a hero in battle!” Seto declared, wishing to defy the news. Aknadin smirked.

“You are my son Seto… Meaning you are next in line for the throne” Aknadin stated, seeing Seto step back in fear. This was all madness. First a young man appears in a flash of light and claims to be from another time, then suddenly Aknadin goes mad and causes a massacre and declares himself to be Seto’s father and his goal is to make him Pharaoh? This all felt like a long nightmare. 

“You’re wrong…! I won’t become Pharaoh! I won’t!” Seto yelled, shaking his head and attempting to run past Aknadin. He only made it a few steps before his whole body froze, finding himself paralysed under the gaze of the millennium eye.

“Seto… you seem to think I am giving you a choice… It seems I will have to do some work to convince you” Aknadin taunted, a soft chuckle in his voice. Seto felt his breathing increase in pace, fear coursing through his veins before he felt a harsh blow to the back of his neck, his vision growing dark around the edges as his body fell forward, colliding harshly with the ground. 

\--

As they rode in the city, Yugi’s eyes widened in horror as the mountain of bodies that littered the streets. Blood was spattered everywhere, all over the sands and walls, disembodied heads rolling around. Yugi felt like he was going to be sick. The smell of death clung in the air, filling his nostrils and making his nausea rise. Arriving in the town square, they saw a large group of bandits gathered around, innocent people kneeling on the ground as they slaughtered them all one by one. 

“Halt! In the name of the Pharaoh, I order you to stop this immediately!” Atem bellowed, his horse stopping before them. The criminals and bandits turned to look at them, before laughing to themselves. Atem dismounted, drawing his sword as the guards he’d brought with them also drew their weapons to fight. Yugi jumped off the horse clumsily, falling to the ground as he slipped, but he quickly jumped back up to his feet. A figure stepped out from the group of bandits, snow white hair contrasting against his sun kissed skin and silver blue eyes, a scar across his face. 

“Greetings Pharaoh. How nice of you to join us for the party!” he welcomed, a snide look on his face. Yugi watched his behaviour, seeing the other criminals and bandits respond to him with respect. He must’ve been the leader of this group.

“You must stop this! Please! These are innocent villagers; they have done nothing to you!” Isis pleaded, running to stand beside Atem. The leader only burst into laughter from this. 

“You seem to have the wrong idea. Innocent villagers? Everyone in this town is guilty! Every single one of them, and I’ll see them all punished!” he declared, a crazed look on his face. 

“Are you… Bakura…?” Yugi asked cautiously, seeing the man stop, his expression falling to a serious frown.

“You seem to have me at a disadvantage my young friend. You know my name, but I don’t know yours” Bakura stated, his voice turning icy with a hint of sarcasm. Yugi gulped, stepping back in fear. Atem moved to shield him, glaring at Bakura. 

“You do not owe him anything Yugi, please, let me deal with this!” Atem reassured him, turning to give him a soft smile. Bakura’s face however, had changed. His eyes were wide in shock, his face twisting suddenly in rage.

“Yugi…?! Your name is Yugi!?” he growled. Yugi blinked in surprise, feeling his shoulders tremble. Was there a reason Bakura knew of him? And was there a reason he was angry? 

“U-Um… yes…?” Yugi stuttered, his voice squeaking. Bakura suddenly became emotionless, remaining still for a few moments before his usual snide look returned, turning to his bandit friends.

“My fellow men, let’s give our new friend Yugi a show, shall we?” he declared, seeing the men smirk before one of them grabbed a woman by her hair, dragging her as she screamed towards Bakura. Yugi gasped in horror, seeing the looks of terror on her face and the cries of her children as they pleaded for them to return their mum. Bakura watched with a dark look on his face, raising his sword up as the woman screamed. Yugi’s eyes felt like they were going to bulge out of their sockets. 

“Stop it!!” he yelled in fury, having somehow gotten in front of Atem. Atem blinked in shock, seeing Yugi’s body language change from submissive and rather cowardly, to angry and almost full of confidence. Bakura smirked darkly, laughing maniacally as he swung the sword down, slicing the woman’s head clean off. Yugi and everyone watched in horror, seeing blood spurt from the woman’s neck and disembodied head, both parts falling to the floor. Yugi’s mind went blank, only fuelled by his hatred and anger. He felt his body twitch as he continued to watch in horror, eyes wide as he grit his teeth together tightly, drawing blood from the inside of his cheek. He could hear the screams and cries of the children, Bakura’s wicked laughter. All he could think about was his anger, his hatred, the blood, the death… 

“Yugi…? Yugi! Please calm down!” Atem pleaded, seeing the younger man hunch over himself, hands clenched tightly into fists, his body trembling in pure rage. A red glow began to float over his body, pulsating around him as he suddenly felt a pressure in his forehead. The pressure built and built until he felt like his head was going to explode. 

“Bring the next one” Bakura ordered, a bandit dragging a child over to him. This was the final straw. Yugi felt the pressure explode in his forehead as he threw his head back, eyes wide in fury.

“STOP IT!!” he screamed, feeling all the energy, anger, pressure and power explode from within him. When he opened his eyes again, most of the bandits had been knocked off their feet, laying on the ground. They groaned, pushing themselves up and looking at Yugi in shock. Yugi looked down at his hands, seeing a glowing red energy flowing around his body. His clothes were swaying and moving, along with his hair, as if he were underwater. Atem wasn’t by his side either. He turned his head to look for the Pharaoh, seeing him on the ground a few feet away, pushing himself back up as well. Atem’s eyes widened in surprise when he saw Yugi.

“The eye of Anubis… is on your forehead…” Atem whispered.


	7. New Powers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the huge delay in the story. My grandmother passed away in November of 2019, and it's taken me a long time to recover. She was my last grandparent, so it hit me hard. But I'm back now.

_“STOP IT!!” he screamed, feeling all the energy, anger, pressure and power explode from within him. When he opened his eyes again, most of the bandits had been knocked off their feet, laying on the ground. They groaned, pushing themselves up and looking at Yugi in shock. Yugi looked down at his hands, seeing a glowing red energy flowing around his body. His clothes were swaying and moving, along with his hair, as if he were underwater. Atem wasn’t by his side either. He turned his head to look for the Pharaoh, seeing him on the ground a few feet away, pushing himself back up as well. Atem’s eyes widened in surprise when he saw Yugi._

_“The eye of Anubis… is on your forehead…” Atem whispered._

…..

Yugi felt overflowing power coursing through him. It felt nice honestly, to be so powerful, but he sensed a darkness lingering in the back of his mind. A little voice, power hungry, whispering in his ear to destroy everything. He shook his head, shutting the voice up as he glared dangerously at Bakura. Bakura had pushed himself up to his feet, glaring at Yugi in shock.

“I see you’re stronger than you look…” Bakura muttered, lifting his sword and pointing it at Yugi. Yugi let out a soft chuckle from his throat, his voice surprisingly echoing, as he walked over to the villagers with a confidence unlike him. The villagers looked up at him in terror, was he going to hurt them? Yugi looked down at the child he had saved from being killed, giving him a soft smile before he turned back to face the thieves, throwing his arms out to the sides and glaring at Bakura.

“If you want to kill these villagers, you’ll have to kill me first! But I warn you, if you attack, you’d better be prepared to be attacked back!” Yugi declared, seeing the surprise and pride on Atem’s face. Atem lifted his sword as well, ordering his soldiers to move and put themselves between the bandits and the villagers. Atem walked beside Yugi, giving him an affectionate smile, before looking back at Bakura. 

“Oh, you think I’m scared of a little wimp?” he taunted, looking at his men he had positioned around, bows and arrows ready to fire. He gave the order, sending many, many arrows flying towards Yugi and the soldiers. Yugi merely smirked, lifting a hand up and the arrows stopped in mid-flight. Atem blinked in surprise, looking at Yugi in amazement. Yugi was only smirking at Bakura, seeing the bandit growing more and more irritated. 

“You little brat…! Fine, if arrows won’t work, I’ll take you on myself!” Bakura declared, lifting his sword and charging directly at Yugi. Atem intercepted the attack, shielding Yugi with his sword, slicing back and sending Bakura staggering back. Yugi watched in surprise, having been ready to blast Bakura back himself. The clang of metal hitting metal resonated through the air, sparks flying when their swords met, the two competing almost in a dance. 

“Be careful my pharaoh…” Mahad whispered, worried as they all watched, ready to defend the villagers if the other bandits attempted to attack. Bakura was shoved back harshly, panting before glaring at his fellow bandits.

“What’re you just standing around for?! I want that brat’s head on a pike!” Bakura growled, sending the other bandits into action. They all began to charge towards Yugi who merely waved a hand, an energy blast sending them all flying to the ground, swatted away like flies. Yugi liked this power, he could do anything. No one could hurt him, and it felt nice to be in control for once. He could decide if someone lived or died, he could finally let out all his hidden anger and resentment that had slowly been building up his whole life, that he’d been trying to desperately to hide, even from himself. It was almost as if a little voice was whispering in his ear, telling him it was okay to let loose. This was all in the past and wasn’t part of his timeline, so what did it matter if he killed a few bandits? It wouldn’t change history. His eyes suddenly widened, freezing in shock at his own thoughts. No, those hadn’t been his. There was a voice whispering in his ear, inside his mind, telling him these things. All of a sudden, he felt cold in his centre, his shoulders shaking in terror as he looked down towards his hands. He didn’t like this power anymore; the voice was too compelling and he feared what he would do if he let it influence him. No, he had to stay in control!

A suddenly stab of pain snapped him out of his thoughts as his body suddenly crumpled, the energy leaving him in a rush. He fell to his knees, looking down shakily at his shoulder which had an arrow stuck in it. Blood dripped down his shoulder and arm, all energy and power completely sucked from him.

“Master Yugi!” Karim yelled, catching Atem’s attention as he turned from Bakura, looking over at him and gasping. He didn’t see Bakura had used this chance to swing his blade upwards, slicing across Atem’s chest and sending him staggering back, clutching at his torn clothing, blood beginning to soak the material. 

“Pharaoh!” Mahad cried out, rushing to intervene between Atem and Bakura, Isis rushing out and pulling Atem away from the battle as Mahad lifted his sceptre, casting a magic spell that teleported them all away from the battlefield. They re-emerged outside the city walls; villagers included. Mahad collapsed to his knees, panting heavily from exhaustion. 

“Lord Mahad!” Tea called out, running to him and kneeling, checking on his condition. Honda and Jounouchi were tending to several villagers, while Karim tended to Yugi’s shoulder and Isis tended to Atem’s wound. 

“I’m fine, how’s the Pharaoh?” Yugi asked, gently moving Karim’s hands away and looking towards Isis’s back in worry. Karim glanced over as well, before sighing sadly.

“I’m not sure… The strike was deep, and cut all across his torso from hip to shoulder… Any normal man would not survive such a wound… But the Pharaoh had proven to be far from normal” Karim explained, trying to liven the situation with a little humour. Yugi gave him a grateful smile, shakily moving back to his feet and beginning to walk across the sand with Karim, heading to where Isis knelt, using her monster to heal Atem’s chest wound. Atem was unconscious now, laying on the sand, his skin clammy and covered in sweat. Yugi looked down at him, feeling a sense of dread and helplessness wash over him. He’d had the power to keep them all safe, and he’d let Atem get hurt. This was all his fault. Yugi continued to stare down at Atem, his stomach clenching tightly into knots. To make matters worse, he’d caused Atem to have to leave the city and now it had been completely taken over. He was responsible for the city falling. 

“Master Yugi!” Karim gasped, clutching Yugi’s shoulders as Yugi’s body suddenly fell limp, slowly lowering him to sit on the ground, his vision blurring. Karim placed a hand upon his forehead, eyes widening. 

“Master Yugi is suffering a fever!” Karim yelled, seeing Tea, Jounouchi and Honda rushing over. Tea knelt before them, putting a hand on Yugi’s forehead to replace Karim’s; placing another on her own. She looked down at him worriedly, seeing Yugi’s eyes begin to fall, closing shut. She gently took Yugi into her own arms, letting Karim stand up. 

“What do you need us to do Tea?” Jounouchi asked, looking down worriedly at them.

“I need water and cloths. We need to lower his temperature!” Tea answered, seeing Jounouchi and Honda nod, running off to the villagers to see if any of them had what they required. She turned to look back at Yugi worriedly, tears falling down her own cheeks as she gently stroked his forehead, wiping sweat from his brow. 

“Master Yugi should be okay in time” Karim reassured her, earning a soft smile from her.

“I know… It’s just… this day has been so overwhelming…” she replied, seeing him smile in return. 

“We’re all shaken Tea… We have multiple injured, and we need to regain our strength and numbers…” Karim explained softly. They sat there in silence for several minutes before Karim walked off to check on the other villagers. Tea looked back down at Yugi, holding him close to her. In her opinion, today couldn’t end fast enough. 

…..

Seto wasn’t sure how much time had gone by since he’d lost consciousness, but when he finally began to wake up, he quickly realised he was trapped in the dungeons. Sitting up in shock, he stared at the metal bars keeping him trapped inside. He heard a soft gasp behind him, catching his attention as he turned to see a young woman cowering in the corner. Her appearance was what surprised him the most. He’d thought Yugi has been pale in colour, but this woman was even paler. Her hair was also an incredibly pale shade of blue/white and went below her waist. She looked up at him in fear, beautiful blue eyes staring into his own.

“W-What did you do to upset Master Aknadin?” she whimpered, trembling. Seto wasn’t sure what to say or do.

“I… I didn’t… Aknadin had usurped the throne. We have to stop him somehow!” Seto replied calmly, seeing her eyes widen. Her fear disappeared and she crawled from out of the shadows towards him, staring up into his face innocently. Seto blinked in surprise, unable to stop the blush from creeping along his cheeks. 

“You’re not dressed like a commoner or normal prisoner… Who are you?” she asked innocently, observing his clothing.

“I am High Priest Seto, I serve under His Majesty. Aknadin has somehow convinced himself into thinking I am his lost son and he is determined to make me Pharaoh for some reason…” Seto explained, seeing her blink in surprise again, before bowing her head in respect, her long hair flowing around her.

“Forgive me for not realising, Lord Seto. Though, I find it curious, you do not intend to take the throne? You do not wish for such power?” she asked, looking back up at Seto as she stared with her intense blue eyes. They seemed to search his soul, desperately seeking to find out about his true nature. Seto could stare into those eyes for hours, they were deeper than the blue sky outside, sparkling brighter than all the jewels of Egypt. Her hair was as white as fresh papyrus, or maybe that wasn’t the correct word. No, maybe it was similar to snow? He has never seen snow before, but he had heard from travellers that the white of snow was so pure and bright. It was a few moments before Seto caught himself staring, quickly looking away as his cheeks burned.

“No, I do not wish for such power. All I wish is to serve my country and my King till the day I die. Even if the throne were given to me, I would not take it if it was taken at the cost of the townspeople! They are the lifeblood of our country, and what is a King without his people?” Seto replied, finding each word growing in passion as he spoke, having turned back to look at the girl. She smiled gently, nodding in response.

“I agree Lord Seto. My name is Kisara, please, allow me to assist you” she pleaded, placing a hand over her heart as she looked at him in determination. Seto stepped back in disbelief. 

“You? You have no weapons; how will you fight?” he asked before blinking in realisation. He remained silent before slowing pointing towards her.

“You… have a spirit monster?” he whispered, seeing her nod with a soft smile. She closed her eyes as a soft glow began to engulf her body, a gentle warmth filling the room.

“Yes, I have a spirit monster inside me. I will assist you in escaping, but I cannot summon it in here, it is far too small in this room, we would be surely crushed” she explained, opening her eyes again as the glow faded. Seto thought for a second, looking at the ground as he pondered his situation. He has to get out and make sure his Pharaoh was alright. Ever since Yugi had appeared, Pharaoh Atem had been chasing fairy tales like Aknadin had said, but surely Yugi could not be solely responsible for all that had happened? Was Yugi the catalyst that had triggered Aknadin to madness? Was he the reason this was all happening? No, perhaps Aknadin had always been mad and Seto had been too blind to realise? Surely this could not be Yugi’s fault. Most likely this would have happened regardless of who it was, coincidence put Yugi in the centre. Seto turned to look back at Kisara, a frown on his face. He had made up his mind.

“Kisara, I require your assistance. We need to get out of here and locate His Majesty! If I break us out of the dungeons, will you protect us with your spirit monster when we enter larger quarters?” he requested, seeing Kisara nod. 

“I will! Master Aknadin must be stopped!” she declared, stepping closer to Seto as he smirked, turning to the walls of their prison. He closed his eyes in silent prayer before summoning Duos.

“Get us out of here!” Seto ordered, the monster in the shape of a man flying at the walls, swinging his dual swords and smashing open the stone walls of their prison. Seto grabbed Kisara’s hand in his as he began sprinting out the hole they had opened, running through the familiar corridors of the prison chambers. He knew the layout like the back of his hand, quickly turning corners before suddenly skidding to a stop and grabbing Kisara as he covered her mouth and hid them behind a pillar. Even in the dark, he could sense the presence of someone in the hallway. He remained still, his heart pounding in his head as he watched the shadow walk down the corridor they had come out from, before looking down at Kisara who was still wrapped up in his arms. Seto blinked in surprise, feeling her small frame against his chest, he could feel her heart pounding through his arm he had around her torso, the other still holding her mouth shut. A soft smell wafted through his nose and Seto had to physically stop himself from bringing his face down to sniff her hair. It smelt lovely to him. He shook his thoughts away quickly, leaning in beside her head as he slowly removed his hand from her mouth.

“Sorry, I couldn’t risk us getting caught. Are you alright?” he whispered, feeling her nod with a soft squeak in the back of her throat. Perhaps she was as thrown off by this close contact as he was? No, he couldn’t risk getting distracted now, regardless of how beautiful she was and how much he wanted to keep her all to himself. He gently released her, feeling her shift away before he grabbed her hand in his again, pulling them through the corridor more. 

Eventually reaching the ground floor of the palace, Seto peeked around the corner, not spotting anyone by the doors. This was too easy… How had Aknadin not stopped him yet? Surely, he had someone guarding his cell, correct? How had no one informed him of his escape? Was it due to all the guards having been killed? But if the prisoners and bandits were working with Aknadin, then surely, he could’ve gotten one of them to guard his cell. Nothing about this felt right. 

“Lord Seto?” Kisara whispered, looking at him in concern. Seto turned to give her a reassuring smile, gently squeezing her hand in his. They had been running for a while and felt quite worn out, but until they managed to exit the palace and then the city, there would be no rest. Once they got outside, their next job was to find a horse and get out of the city as quickly as possible. 

“Let’s go” he whispered, seeing Kisara nod before they walked over to the gates, peering around them. The front entrance was barren as well. Why? Deciding not to question in further, Seto pulled Kisara along behind him as they ran down the palace steps, heading to the stables. Please let a horse still be alive. Arriving, Seto took a quick glance inside before gasping in joy. A few horses still remained in the stable, including his own horse. Running to the horse, Seto quickly jumping onto its back and turned to outstretch a hand to Kisara.

“Jump on!” he ordered, seeing her run to him and take his hand. He hoisted her on behind him, feeling her grip him tightly as he forced the horse out the stables and towards the palace gates. Once past these gates, they would be in the city and it would be easier to escape. Please, gods of Egypt, let them escape safely. Approaching the gates, Seto gasped in horror as a sudden spirit monster appeared in front of the gates. He pulled the horse to a sharp stop, seeing a giant man shaped monster with a snake’s tail for legs appear, looming over him menacingly. Kisara gasped from behind him, wrapping her arms around him tighter. A low chuckle caught Seto’s attention as he looked down to see a man with silver white hair and tan skin, a deep scar down his eye. 

“And where do you think you’re going, High Priest Seto? Master Aknadin made it quite clear he wanted you secured in the dungeons” he taunted, smirking darkly. Seto glared, readying his horse.

“I don’t know what kind of deal Aknadin made with you bandits and murderers, but I will have no part in it! Mark my words, you will be stopped and the Pharaoh will retake the throne!” Seto declared, summoning Duos again, seeing the monsters begin to strike each other. 

“Lord Seto!” Kisara yelled from behind him, startling Seto as he looked back at her before looking back at the bandit who was approaching him with a sword. This was bad! Seto had no weapons! Before the bandit could strike however, a familiar glow and warmth spread from behind him, Seto turning back to look at Kisara as her eyes glowed white. A loud roar could be heard from the sky, Seto looking up before gasping in amazement at the powerful looking dragon that appeared before them all. It was a beautiful, shiny white in colour with the purest blue eyes. It opened its mouth and outstretched its wings as it roared again, glaring down at the bandit.

“Bakura! Seto!” yelled Aknadin as he stood before the palace doors, looking down upon the scene. The bandit, Bakura, gave Aknadin a small glare, but remained still. Seto looked at Aknadin, glaring in hatred. The man gave him a look of angered disappointment in return.

“I will never be a pawn in your twisted game Aknadin! Kisara! Get us out of here!” Seto yelled. The dragon roared in acknowledgement before blasting a powerful beam of white energy at Bakura and his monster. Seto used this chance to force the horse to gallop past them, out the gates and into the city. Finally, in the city, Seto could see the full damage the bandits had down. Blood and bodies filled the streets, the smell of ashes and decay filled the air. The city Seto had loved so much was no more. Continuing to gallop through the city, he looked down sadly as the horse’s mane. Would the city ever return to the way it was? As thoughts like these filled Seto’s head, he felt the arms around his waist grip him tighter, as if giving him a hug. He turned to look at Kisara, seeing her rest her head against his back.

“It will be okay Lord Seto. We will find the Pharaoh and return the city to the way it was, have faith” she reassured him, looking up at him with a gentle smile. Seto couldn’t help but return the smile, gently lifting a hand from the horse’s mane to wrap it around Kisara’s that held onto his shirt. He gave her hand a squeeze in return.


	8. Light or Dark?

_“Master Yugi!” Karim yelled, catching Atem’s attention as he turned from Bakura, looking over at him and gasping. He didn’t see Bakura had used this chance to swing his blade upwards, slicing across Atem’s chest and sending him staggering back, clutching at his torn clothing, blood beginning to soak the material.   
….  
“It will be okay Lord Seto. We will find the Pharaoh and return the city to the way it was, have faith” she reassured him, looking up at him with a gentle smile. Seto couldn’t help but return the smile, gently lifting a hand from the horse’s mane to wrap it around Kisara’s that held onto his shirt. He gave her hand a squeeze in return. _

…..

Yugi didn’t know where he was. Nothing but black surrounded him. No matter which direction he turned, he couldn’t see anything in front of him. Raising his arms in front of him to look at his hands, he couldn’t even see his own limbs. Were his eyes even open? They felt open. Yugi wracked his mind, desperately seeking to mend the tangled and broken fragments of his memories of what had happened before this. He’d been with Atem and they’d made it back to the city. There’d been bandits, and the villagers were being slaughtered. That’s when his memories grew hazy. All he could remember was an immense feeling of power. It had felt warm… strong… good… Yugi’s eyes widened in a gasp as he remembered bits and pieces. He had been protecting the villagers and had done so with ease, but a little voice had been speaking to him in the corners of his mind. A dark and sinister voice, one that frightened him. It had been too powerful, too tempting. 

Yugi felt his arms shaking as he lifted them to his head, cupping either side of his head, eyes still painfully wide in fright. He couldn’t risk it happening again. Yugi had a feeling that if he had remained in that state, he may have turned on the very people he was trying to protect. He wouldn’t allow it to happen, never!

_‘It’s not your choice’_ whispered a voice from behind him. Yugi gasped again, twirling to face the voice, only to be met with darkness. He blinked, looking desperately for the owner. No one was in sight, and the only thing around him was an empty void. 

“W-Who are you…?!” Yugi yelled out, feeling his body shake violently. He swallowed the lump in his throat, feeling his mouth go dry. He wanted to know who this little voice in his ear was, but at the same time, he was too scared to find out. Menacing laughter filled the void, a soft giggle at first before it turned into sinister laughter. It felt like it was everywhere around him. 

_‘Do you really want to know? Would knowing make it any less scary?’_

Yugi couldn’t answer. No answer he could give would be correct. He did want to know, but at the same time, he didn’t. No, he was an archaeologist, he couldn’t run from the unknown! Steeling himself, Yugi looked around in the darkness again. 

“I do! Show yourself, you coward!” Yugi declared, hearing the voice laugh again. The laughter seemed to focus solely behind him. Yugi gulped again, preparing himself mentally.

_‘If you truly want to know, turn to face me’_

Yugi closed his eyes, forcing himself to turn to face the mystery person behind him. Opening his eyes, he saw the person he wanted to see least, yet he had known it all along. An identical copy of himself stood behind him, a sinister look on his face, blanked over eyes and a dark aura surrounding him as he smirked. Yugi inhaled sharply, opening his mouth to let out a scream.

….

Yugi woke with a start, leaping upright as he panted heavily. His body was coated in sweat, his body ached, but he didn’t care. The smirk of that copy of himself was engrained in his mind. That couldn’t be him, surely? 

“Yugi?” Tea asked, entering the building as she looked at him in concern. Yugi turned to face her, still slightly panicked. 

“Tea? What happened…?” he asked, still disoriented. Tea stepped closer to him, sitting on the edge of the bed he was laying on, placing some cloths down on her lap. She looked down at her lap sadly before looking back up at him.

“The city was taken over by the bandits. We don’t know if Lord Shada, Lord Seto, Lord Shimon or Lord Aknadin are safe… One of the villagers knew of a run-down abandoned city on the edge of the border, so we came here. The buildings are a bit worse for wear, but they’ll manage with keeping people out of the sun…” Tea explained, watching Yugi as he looked around the room. The building was a small hut made of stone and wood. It had all the essentials in one room, or at least, what remained of them. It looked like no one had inhabited the building for decades. 

“You were shot during the fight… So you shouldn’t move too much yet…” Tea stated, seeing recognition in Yugi’s eyes as he looked down to see he wasn’t wearing a shirt, and his torso was bandaged around his chest and shoulder. Looking down at the bandage, Yugi remained silent for a few moments before a memory suddenly flashed in his mind. It had been of Atem being sliced upwards by Bakura’s sword, blood spraying from his torso. Yugi gasped, reaching to Tea and grabbing her arms desperately.

“Atem! Is he…!?” he pleaded, seeing Tea blink in shock before looking down sadly. Yugi felt his chest grow heavy, air hard to breathe, a pit forming in his stomach. No… was he dead…?

“His Majesty was injured… Lord Karim says it will be a while before he recovers…” She stated, seeing the relief flood through Yugi as he leaned forward, resting his head on her arm.

“So, he’s alive…? Thank god…” Yugi whispered, feeling all the tension leave him as he could suddenly breathe. Tea raised a hand, gently stroking the back of his head comfortingly. 

“He’s alive, yes. Lord Karim says if it had been any other man, he would be dead. But something seems to be protecting His Majesty. We’re very lucky” She explained, continuing to stroke Yugi’s head. Yugi couldn’t help the soft sigh that escaped him, feeling his body begin to relax. Yugi slowly lifted his head back to look up at her.

“Can we go see him? I need to see how our situation is anyway…” Yugi asked. Tea raised a brow, unsure, but sighed. She smiled at him, standing and offering him a hand.

“Very well, come on. Let’s see if Lord Karim will let us in to see him” she offered, receiving Yugi’s hand as she helped to pull him up to his feet. She grabbed his cloak by the door, wrapping it over his shoulders and pulling the hood over his head, before leading him out the hut and into the streets. 

The streets were even worse. Buildings were falling apart and the roads were unkempt, but at least it was stable to live in for the moment. Yugi’s eyes widened in horror at the state of the town. This looked similar to the dig sites he went to in his own time. 

“This town was originally called Kul Elna… The villager said it used to belong to a city of bandits and thieves. But one day they all just disappeared. No one knows why or where they went…” Tea explained, looking around herself. Yugi looked down at the ground, frowning as he remembered Bakura. The bandits had described him as the Bandit Thief, and he certainly looked like he had lived his life out in the sun a lot. He had no doubt that Kul Elna was where Bakura had originally lived. What he couldn’t figure out was why they had all disappeared from Kul Elna so suddenly. 

Finally arriving at a hut that looked like it was in the best condition, Tea knocked on the door and waited several moments before the door opened, revealing Karim and Isis. Karim’s eyes widened, immediately moving to let them inside.

“Master Yugi, you’re finally awake. I assume you wish to know His Majesty’s condition?” Isis asked. Yugi nodded in response, stepping inside with Tea behind him, looking down to see Atem laying on a bed, his eyes closed and his body still. His clothes were soaked in blood and covered in bandages. His skin was clammy looking and his eyebrows were knit together in pain. Yugi felt his heart breaking, knowing he was responsible for Atem’s injury. If he had just kept his barriers up and not gotten shot by that arrow, Atem’s attention wouldn’t have been diverted from his fight with Bakura and he would still be alright. 

“His Majesty is badly injured, it’s a miracle he’s even still alive… The Gods must be watching over him” Karim explained, each word feeling like another weight falling onto Yugi’s shoulders. This was all Yugi’s fault. He could feel tears forming in his eyes as he bit his lip, holding them back as best he could. 

“Karim, Isis, Tea? May I have a few moments alone with the Pharaoh?” Yugi asked, being met with silence. Karim went to try and say something but Isis shot him a look, simply shaking her head.

“Of course, Master Yugi. We’ll be right outside. Please call out if you need anything or if His Highness’s condition changes” Isis replied, urging Tea and Karim outside and closing the door behind her. Yugi walked to the bed, sitting down on the edge as he looked at Atem. Something inside him seemed to snap, the tears flowing from his eyes as he buried his face in his hands, leaning forward as the weight of the world seemed to crush him. 

“I’m so sorry… This is all my fault! If… If I hadn’t left the palace… I-If I hadn’t left the city… I-If I… hadn’t come to this time… n-none of this would’ve happened! It’s all my fault… I can’t do anything right…!” Yugi apologised, begging for the forgiveness of anyone listening. He was met with silence in return. His tears flowed faster, his shoulders hunching further forward as if he were being crushed. 

_‘You can change all this, if you’ll let me’_

Yugi froze, lifting his face from his hands to stare at them. No… Not again. His body shook as he remembered the owner of the voice, he could never forget his own face, twisted in darkness. But the voice was tempting, no matter how terrified he was of it. His whole life, Yugi had been powerless. Now that he had had a taste of power, he wanted more. He couldn’t deny it, and he wasn’t sure how long he could resist it. 

_‘Don’t resist, our powers can heal him if you want. You want that, don’t you? To see Atem awake?’_

It was true… he did. And if he had the power to heal him, then of course Yugi wanted to do so. Atem had given him so much, Yugi wanted to return the favour. But he couldn’t risk letting this other side of himself loose. He was too dangerous, too dark. 

“N-No… I can’t allow you…” Yugi whispered, gripping his arms tightly in his hands, eyes still wide and trembling. Why was this happening to him…? Was he really such a bad person that these were his inner thoughts? Dark thoughts entered Yugi’s mind as he pondered over his situation. Maybe it would be better if he left? Would Atem and all his friends be safe if he wasn’t there? 

“Y-Yugi…?” asked a shaky voice, Yugi gasping as he turned to face Atem, eyes still wide. Atem was laying there, still weak and injured, but his blood red eyes were open. He gave Yugi a weak smile, raising a hand and gently bringing it to Yugi’s cheek as if gently caressing him.

“Looks like… we’re both a bit wounded” Atem joked, chuckling weakly. Yugi blinked away tears, trying to force a smile. How could Atem joke while he was bed ridden, riddled with an injury that was Yugi’s fault? 

“I’m so sorry… It’s my fault you’re hurt…” Yugi sobbed, the tears falling freely as he quickly covered his face with his hands, sobbing into them. Atem’s heart shattered into a million pieces seeing him like this. His smile quickly faded, his hand rising shakily as he reached for Yugi, putting a hand weakly on Yugi’s arm to get his attention. Yugi peered at him from under his hands.

“It’s not your fault Yugi… None of this… is your fault… I chose to be… distracted from Bakura… This is my fault… not yours…” Atem reassured, his expression stern. Yugi couldn’t believe him though, he had seen it, he had felt it. He knew this was his fault. 

“Pharaoh… I…” Yugi started before Atem stopped him, putting a finger to the tip of his lips to silence him. 

“Atem… Call me Atem” he corrected, a soft smile on his face. Yugi’s cheeks flushed a little, looking away shyly.

“M-Maybe when we’re alone…” Yugi muttered shyly, looking down at his knees in thought. He turned back to Atem, smiling sadly in return as he brought a hand over Atem’s that rested on his cheek. He closed his eyes, feeling the tears falling down his face. He knew this was for the best, but it just hurt his heart so much. How had he become so enamoured with this man in such a short span of time? Was it really a crush? Or was it the feeling of finally being accepted and wanted? 

“Atem… I…” Yugi inhaled sharply, the words were caught in his throat. Could he say it? What if he was wrong? He risked ruining everything we had with the man. He could feel his whole body shaking. Before Yugi has a chance to continue, he suddenly felt a softness cover his lips. He opened his eyes in surprise, seeing Atem’s face right in front of his own, Atem’s soft lips covering his. Yugi inhaled sharply through his nose, blinking several times as his body froze before he relaxed, closing his eyes as he leaned into the kiss. Atem mashed his lips against Yugi’s, his hand snaking into the back of Yugi’s hair as he pulled him closer, desperate to taste the other man and show him his deep affection. Yugi sat there, allowing Atem to smother him in affection, his cheeks dusted a rosy pink. This felt… surprisingly nice. It felt right. 

_‘But it’s not. You’ll end up hurting him, along with everyone you’ve ever cared about!’_

Yugi gasped, eyes widening as he suddenly pulled away from Atem, pulling back and hugging his arms tightly, his body shaking in terror. Atem blinked in surprise, raising a brow in confusion. 

“Yugi? Yugi, what’s wrong?” he pleaded, sitting upright before looking down at his chest in confusion. He was no longer in any pain, and it felt like he had never been injured in the first place. He blinked in surprise several times before quickly focusing his attention back on Yugi. Yugi looked like he was on the verge of a panic attack, his body shaking in spasms and his eyes as wide as saucers. Atem shifted, wrapping his arms around the younger male. Yugi’s body was incredibly tense, his breaths coming out in sharp, shallow gasps. 

“I-I can’t… I-I can’t let that….” Yugi muttered, his voice no louder than a whisper, but Atem could hear him perfectly. He pulled the younger male closer to his chest, embracing him.

“Can’t do what, Yugi? What’s wrong? Did I move too soon? I’m sorry…” Atem apologised, resting his cheek on Yugi’s head as he embraced him. Yugi shook his head. No? Then what had upset him so much? Atem shifted, grabbing both sides of Yugi’s face in his hands, turning him to face him. Their noses were close enough to touch as Atem stared into his eyes.

“Yugi, please… Tell me what happened, from the beginning. What’s scared you so much?” Atem pleaded. Yugi swallowed, he wasn’t sure if telling Atem was a good idea. 

“I-I’m… scared of… myself…” he whimpered, squeezing his eyes shut as Atem blinked in surprise. 

“Of yourself? Yugi, you are the most gentle, loving and inquisitive person I know. There’s nothing to be scared of” Atem reassured him, a soft smile on his face. Yugi shook his head in denial. 

“No! That’s… That’s not… I-I’m not… I-I mean… I…” Yugi stuttered on his words before opening his eyes to stare directly into Atem’s.

“You saw me before… A-Against Bakura… I don’t know where that power came from… But I could feel it… How dark it was… T-There’s a voice in my head now… A-And it tells me things I don’t want to hear… My inner thoughts, like revenge, power, control… I’m scared of it! I-If I use my powers again, I fear I may end up destroying everything I hold dear to me!” Yugi explained, closing his eyes again as more tears flowed down his eyes. This was it, Atem was sure to be disgusted with him now. He had to be crazy, right? A voice in your head wasn’t normal, even if it was you. Silence filled the room before he slowly opened his eyes to look at Atem anxiously. Atem’s smile had never left his face.

“Yugi… Aibou…. Those thoughts are completely normal… Everyone gets tempted by power, and everyone always has inner thoughts of revenge when someone has wronged us. It doesn’t make you who you are, but what does is whether you choose to follow through on those thoughts. I know you, and I know you won’t allow those thoughts, or that voice, to cloud your judgement. Whether you choose to use that power or not, I’ll support you. You protected us all, now let me protect you” Atem reassured him, bringing Yugi back to meet his lips with his own. This kiss was more passionate and confident, and Yugi didn’t shy away this time. Maybe Atem was right and this was all normal? Every human was tempted by power when they came across it, but it was how they used it that determined who they were. 

Neighing outside caught their attention as they pulled away from each other to look at the door in confusion. A commotion was happening outside as they heard the villagers running outside.

“Lord Seto has returned! He found us!” villagers yelled, making Yugi and Atem look at each other in disbelief.


End file.
